Good morning! Ahh, April. The flowers are blooming, the tariffs are looming, and the taxes, consuming.

With rising costs and supply chain chaos, it’s time to double down on building strong trade relationships. You’ll know how in 5 min. 👇

What’s on tap in this issue:

• Trade vendors feel the squeeze
• Insurance — it’s not just for catastrophes anymore
• Today’s flex…trade loyalty

🌵We’ll be in sunny Phoenix for this year’s Restaurant Leadership Conference. April 13-16 — reply to this email if you’d like to connect at RLC. We hope to see you there!

​​​​​Industry news

What’s cookin’ in the industry?

With today’s high costs, restaurants need to prioritize preventative maintenance and strong trade vendor relationships on the double. 💥

When trades are on thin ice, your repairs may be too

It’s not just restaurants feeling the heat from looming tariffs — your go-to electricians, plumbers, and HVAC techs are sweating too.

🔧 12–20% price hikes — expected across construction materials if the new tariffs take effect. That means repair vendors will pay more for the same parts, and guess who gets the upcharge? (Hint: it's you.)

📈 A word on wire — Copper wire costs have already doubled in the last few years. Add a 25% tariff on top, and you're looking at hefty repair bill inflation — for even basic jobs.

⚡ The scoop on stocking woes — Electrical parts, breakers, and key HVAC components that used to be stocked locally are now delayed by days or even weeks. One contractor put it bluntly: “It might be three to four days to get a breaker that used to be in stock at Home Depot.”

A drip today, a deluge tomorrow

These days, more restaurants are turning to their insurance companies for more than catastrophic events. They’re filling claims for everyday disasters that started as small, fixable problems — think leaky pipes, fried circuits, or HVACs that quit mid-summer.

💸 Non-catastrophic losses are skyrocketing. Payouts from plumbing and electrical issues have almost doubled over the past decade.

⚠️ Equipment breakdown claims are topping the charts. Equipment breakdowns accounted for 17% of restaurant claims from 2021-2024. Out of 10 categories of the most frequent claims — breakdowns was #1.

You can avoid costly breakdowns with preventative maintenance. Don’t have a go-to plumber, electrician, or HVAC pro on speed dial? No sweat — ResQ’s Vendor Network is stacked with reliable tradespeople ready to help.

Timely tips

Operators who treat vendors like partners rather than disposable labor, are going to win. Give them a reason to prioritize YOU when everyone’s panicking over a busted ice machine.

Invest in your relationships.🤝 Communicate often. 💬 Pay fast.💲

Try these tips for nurturing your trade relationships 👇

📑 Keep tabs on your favorite trade techs — make a note for your team with your preferred trades’ contact information. Or use ResQ, which can help enforce your team using preferred trades.

✍️ Go overboard on details when creating a work order – The more info you include in a request (issue details, urgency, relevant photos, etc.), the smoother the repair process will be.

⏩ Respond promptly – Getting a repair done quickly requires smooth back-and-forth communication, especially in the case of questions or approvals. Quick responses prevent delays...remember equipment downtime impacts customer experience and can lead to less sales.

🙋 Designate an on-site contact – Let the tech know who they should check in with upon arrival and who will be available to provide any necessary information.

From the community​​​​​

How do you create quality trade vendor relationships? Do it differently.

Let’s be honest — many facility platforms don’t treat trades like partners. Clunky portals, slow payments, confusing work orders…it's a recipe for somebody getting ghosted.

But not ResQ.

We’re built differently — designed to make life easier (and more profitable) for both trades and restaurants.

Just ask Mico Cooling, a leading HVAC company that’s been keeping NYC kitchens cool for almost 2 decades.

Since joining ResQ’s vendor network, they’ve driven over $1 million in new revenue.

💸 How? Because ResQ doesn’t just connect trades to restaurants — we help them grow.

Here’s what trades get when they work with us:

✅ New business. Mico Cooling expanded their customer base dramatically through ResQ’s curated vendor network — tapping into a pipeline of top-tier restaurant brands they weren’t servicing before.

✅ Better comms. Our platform simplifies communication between trades and facilities, reducing missed messages, job confusion, and endless back-and-forths.

✅ Faster payments. Optional access to getting paid in as quick as 7 days.

The result is more growth, less admin headache, and more loyal trade partners ready to show up, fix fast, and build long-term relationships.

The bottom line? When vendors are taken care of, everyone wins.

Break time

When you treat your vendors like comrades, not just hired hands

Almost as cool as uniting to fight the Predator.

You know the quote. 😂

— Kareem at ResQ

Know someone who’d enjoy this? Forward this email to a peer!

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Subscribe to The Fix here.

Like this email? Reply and let us know what you think!

Shameless plug

What does ResQ do?

ResQ is the ONLY facilities management platform that streamlines restaurant R&M operations and enhances oversight.

Operators can efficiently track assets, create work orders quickly, and choose from a network of quality trades businesses to work with.

ResQ makes it possible to cut costs, save time, and scale — all at the same time

Love free samples? We do, too. Schedule a FREE demo to see how ResQ can help you kick R&M chaos to the curb.