As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants either shut down completely or else shifted to curbside/takeout service only. For the restaurants that closed their doors, some did not properly shut down their refrigeration equipment and ice machines, and regular maintenance was often deferred for those that shifted to takeout service only.
Once restaurants started reopening, smart owners asked contractors to clean and sanitize those ice machines before they were returned to service. In this market segment, however, ice machines are often not cleaned regularly under the best of circumstances. Now that profit margins are tighter than ever before, there is concern that some restaurant owners and managers may cut back on ice machine maintenance even more.