86 Repairs co-founder Joe Gallagher joins the Digital Hospitality video podcast to discuss helping restaurants with a solution for repairs & maintenance.
▶️ WATCH: Solving the Restaurant Industry's Biggest Headache: Joe Gallagher's 86 Repairs Story
Interview Takeaways:
In the restaurant industry, managing repairs and maintenance is a frustrating challenge, often leading to inefficiencies and unwarranted stress.
But as Joe told Shawn Walchef on the Digital Hospitality podcast, his company is determined to change that situation.
With his background in mechanical engineering and extensive experience in the food equipment industry, Joe’s vision for 86 Repairs has streamlined the process of finding reliable service providers and tackling repairs quickly and effectively.
By connecting operators with technicians, 86 Repairs is helping to alleviate the pain points of restaurant maintenance, making operations smoother and more efficient.
Joe’s career journey, spanning from mechanical engineering to working at Home Depot, highlighted a persistent problem across industries: the difficulty in managing repairs and getting timely service.
Joe started 86 Repairs with his lifelong friend and now co-founder and CEO, Daniel Estrada. Their “Aha!” moment came when they identified key pain points through extensive research with over 40 service providers and restaurant operators.
Remarkably, 90% of those interviewed signed up for a service that didn’t yet exist. This market validation inspired them to create 86 Repairs, a solution aimed at alleviating the equipment repair burden for restaurant operators.
Joe describes the early days of 86 Repairs, recalling moments spent rolling napkins in back booths and asking restaurant owners probing questions about their repair challenges.
Through these conversations, he discovered that most operators were overwhelmed by managing their own repair processes. With 86 Repairs, restaurant owners no longer have to juggle multiple service vendors or deal with the frustration of reactive R&M.
One of the key innovations at 86 Repairs is the concept of predictive maintenance, which allows restaurants to anticipate problems before they happen.
By analyzing data and trends, the platform helps operators address maintenance issues early, preventing costly breakdowns during peak hours.
“Reactive repair is the most expensive type of repair,” Joe explained on Digital Hospitality. “What we’re moving toward is a system where issues are caught early, and repairs are planned, not rushed.”
Expanding into new markets presents unique challenges for any business, but for restaurant operators, the need for trusted service partners is critical.
Joe recounts the story of a Michigan-based restaurant group that struggled when they expanded into Chicago without the necessary local service relationships. This difficulty underscored the value of 86 Repairs.
By providing a network of vetted service technicians, 86 Repairs helped the restaurant group smoothly enter the Chicago market, extending their operational capabilities.
“We became an extension of their operations,” Joe says, “allowing them to focus on growth without worrying about finding reliable technicians.”
One of the most pressing issues in the service industry is the shortage of skilled technicians. While 86 Repairs doesn’t solve the broader societal challenge, Joe emphasizes that the company is doing its part to connect restaurants with reliable vendors.
By acting as a “digital facilities manager,” 86 Repairs streamlines the entire repair process—from dispatching a technician to ensuring that the service is completed correctly. “We reduce inefficiencies, helping both operators and technicians by improving communication and coordination,” Joe explains.
This not only speeds up repairs but also helps build stronger relationships between restaurants and their service providers
As 86 Repairs continues to grow, Joe and his team are focused on improving operational efficiency for restaurants. One of their most exciting new features is the introduction of repair versus replace reports, which provide operators with data to make better decisions about their equipment.
These reports offer insights into total cost of ownership, helping restaurants decide when it’s more cost-effective to replace equipment rather than continually repair it.
“We don’t stop interviewing our customers,” he says. “By staying close to the pain points our clients face, we’re able to continue building solutions that truly make a difference."
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