A restaurant fire can be devastating for your business and as a restaurant owner or manager it can be difficult to navigate the aftereffects of a fire. Understanding how to assess damage, work with your insurance, and deal with long term effects can help your restaurant remain successful as soon as possible after the fire. It is important to prioritize safety as you work towards taking care of the problems caused by your restaurant fire.
Assess the Damage
The first thing you need to do after a fire is assess the damage that has occurred. A good starting point of your assessment is taking in the scope of the damage. Look at how far the damage has spread. Make sure to document each bit of damage as you find it. The more thorough your documentation, the better your chances are of getting an appropriate pay out for your insurance claim.
File an Insurance Claim
When filing an insurance claim there are many things that you should and shouldn’t do to make your claim as successful as possible. As talked about in the previous section, documenting the damage is an important first step to filing your claim. Don’t wait to file your claim, filing promptly will help you be more successful in having your claim approved.
Also be sure to stay on top of your claim and in contact with your insurance company. If you are contacted by your insurance, be sure to respond promptly. Also make sure to get good repair estimates so your insurance has accurate information on how to process your claim.
Lingering Odors
Even long after your fire, smoky orders can remain. Any porous materials can hold the smells of a fire. Walls, cabinets, and floors can all hold lingering odors that are unpleasant. A good first step is simply cleaning surfaces, but with strong odors, that may not be enough. Odor removal technology can help get rid of lingering smells that can otherwise be almost impossible to remove. With severe fires it may be a good idea to enlist the help of professionals who have access to odor removing technology.
The better you react to an emergency situation and the aftermaths of a fire the better things can turn out for you in the end. If you find yourself dealing with the effects of a fire, take initiative to assess the damage and work with your insurance to solve the problem so you can get your restaurant back on its feet.