When you’re tasked with stocking a restaurant with equipment, you likely find yourself walking the fine line between extravagance and thriftiness. You want your kitchen to be stocked with the absolute best equipment, but you also want to save cash wherever possible.
This leads many purchasers to pause during the shopping process to ask themselves, “why am I buying this?" and more specifically, "why should I buy this from Sam Tell?"
All restaurant suppliers sell the same equipment. What sets us apart from other suppliers is what happens after you make your purchase. We're talking about our Services Department—which, when you think about it, could actually be called our "Servicing Broken Equipment Department."
No other restaurant supplier services the equipment when it breaks down, as their interaction with the customer ends when the purchase is made. When you order supplies through Sam Tell, the relationship continues as needed—with our Services Department leading the charge.
To go a little deeper into the inner workings of the department, we spoke with Jourdan Roca, Service Manager at Sam Tell.
Sam Tell: What should a customer do if a piece of equipment breaks?
Jourdan Roca: They should call Sam Tell and ask for the warranty department or dial that department directly. For project work, they should contact their project manager or project manager assistant and they will pass the information to the service manager.
ST: What’s the best way for customers to utilize the department?
JR: The best way to utilize the department is to get the information over to the Service Department with relative information at the ready. Having the model/serial number and onsite contact will always expedite the process. Without this, we require our warranty form to be filled for this process as well.
ST: What kind of information do you keep on file about equipment sold by Sam Tell?
JR: When the customer purchases the equipment, we note the date equipment was purchased, the date of receipt, and the date of installation. We also record the serial number, date of installation, and factory start up if applicable, along with service history.
ST: What are some examples of warranty programs offered by companies?
JR: All the manufacturer warranties are typical, while refrigeration comes with three years parts and labor, and five years compressor. All local service companies offer extended warranties and specific equipment maintenance plans.
ST: Why is the service department so important? How does it differentiate Sam Tell from other restaurant equipment/supply companies?
JR: It’s so important because it allows our customers to be back up and running as quickly as possible, to allow them to serve their customers. If their equipment is down, then their business is down. I am not familiar with how other companies approach service, but we carefully vet each service call to ensure the fastest, most efficient and cost-effective way to service our customers.
