Restaurant cleaning service tips and advice to improve the health and appeal of your business as well as the safety of your food and patrons.
Restaurant Cleaning Service Tips
Where quality cleaning practices are critical to a safe and healthy society, they are mandatory for restaurants.
Of primary concern to restaurant's are the kitchen and dining area.
Additionally, atmosphere and the curbside appeal must be taken into consideration.
Finally, the bathrooms and any other public facing service facility must be pristine.
Improving Restaurant Kitchen and Dining Areas With Green Cleaning
When it comes to the publicly accessible areas of your restaurant, cleanliness can mean the difference between a successful and closed business.
A 2016 Harris Poll showed that 97% of U.S. adults would not return to a restaurant if they had an issue with the facilities.
- 86% would not come back if they thought the surfaces were dirty.
- 85% said they wouldn't return if there were a bad smell.
- 80% would not return if the restrooms were filthy.
- 72% stated that they wouldn't come back if the floors were dirty or slippery, and;
- 70% would not go back if the entryway were filthy.
Cleaning Restaurant Surfaces
Surfaces will include every horizontal surface the patron may come in contact with or see, including food prep areas.
Kitchen surfaces should be cleaned after each meal prep (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and dining surfaces should be cleaned after each use.
While your in-house staff is more than capable of cleaning up messes during regular operating hours, professional services should be applied weekly to ensure food safety.
This should include full sterilization of every surface food may have touched, is prepared, or stored raw.
Use a green alternative or hydrogen peroxide based cleaner instead of chemical disinfectants.
Dealing With Odors
Foul odors can be the end of any business, but with restaurants, bad smells can imply a health issue that will turn away patrons.
Make sure to clean grease off of grills, stoves, grease traps, and ovens after every meal and have them professionally deep cleaned monthly.
Avoid the use of harsh chemical cleaners, if possible, to prevent the potential of dangerous toxins seeping into your food.
Consider a do it yourself cleaning solution containing:
- Baking soda.
- Borax.
- Soap (non-antibacterial), and;
- Warm water.
Vacuum the carpets nightly and have a professional deep clean your carpet monthly.
Make sure to wash dirty rags and aprons nightly, and do not store dirty laundry in the restaurant, especially not in the kitchen.
Remove all trash throughout the day, and wash trash receptacles as often as needed, especially after exposure to wet garbage.
Either clean or dispose of old upholstery, including curtains/drapes, which have absorbed years worth of food smells and smoke.
Wipe down walls and ceilings, especially in the kitchen, at least weekly.
Use a combination of:
- Warm water.
- Baking soda, and;
- Vinegar;
With a microfiber cloth instead of chemical degreasers.
If a commercial air purification/recycling system is out of the budget, open the doors and windows when practical and use a few workshop fans to push fresh air into the spaces.
Restaurant Restroom Rescue
Few things will make a person walk out of a restaurant and never return as a filthy, poorly stocked bathroom.
Restrooms, no matter the type of business, should often be checked, cleaned as necessary, then scrubbed thoroughly with alternative green cleaners nightly.
This will help combat unpleasant smells, as well as reduce the likelihood of germ transfer.
Make certain that bathroom tissue, towels, and soap are in ready supply and easily accessible by the patrons.
Use a vinegar and warm water solution to clean any mirrors, and a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner to sterilize the stalls, toilets, light switches, and sinks nightly.
Use color-coded microfiber cloths to avoid cross contamination.
Cleaning Sticky or Slippery Restaurant Floors
Sticky floors are unappealing and will turn away customers.
Slippery floors are dangerous and can lead to a fall that can turn into a lawsuit.
According to the National Floor Safety Institute:
- Slips and falls are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims and are the leading cause of occupational injury for people aged 55 years and older.
- 85% of worker’s compensation claims are attributed to employees slipping on slick floors.
- 22% of slip/fall incidents resulted in more than 31 days away from work.
- Compensation & medical costs associated with employee slip/fall accidents is approximately $70 billion annually.
- Falls account for 16% of all claims and 26% of all costs.
- Slips and falls do not constitute a primary cause of fatal occupational injuries but represent the primary reason for lost days from work.
- Floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year.
For More Information:
Conventional mops and buckets push dirt and germs around and require toxic chemical degreasers.
Mop as often as needed, and nightly with a color-coded, microfiber mop and a green alternative cleaning solution.
Have the floor professionally scrubbed weekly, especially in busy kitchens.
Make a Great First Impression With a Clean Entryway
The front of your restaurant and entry way constitute a prospective patron's first impression of your business.
Filthy windows, dirty carpets, cobwebs, insects and other pests, as well as overflowing ashtrays, will turn away discerning clientele.
Use vinegar, warm water, and a microfiber cloth to clean the windows weekly.
Place door mats on the inside and outside of the entrance to trap as much dirt and germs as possible; make sure to clean them regularly.
Use green alternative or natural pesticides to avoid the potential of an adverse reaction in a patron.
Wrap a sock or old t-shirt around a broom, or use a commercially available cobweb remover as needed to remove spider webs around and inside the building.
Dump all waste bins and ashtrays as often as needed.
References
- 7 tips for cleaning commercial kitchen floors
- Keep your restaurant clean or shut it down!
- Green cleaning for restaurants
- Restaurants - Tips for Green Cleaning
Takeaway
Running a spotless, healthy restaurant is less expensive than running a filthy one.
Green cleaning practices will ensure your establishment is clean and free of toxins from chemical cleaners.
Sticking to a regular cleaning schedule can be difficult, especially for a busy restaurant.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of a professional restaurant cleaning service for your business, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 395-3009
In Fresno CA, call (559) 473-1790
