Practical Tips for Maintaining a Clean and Hygienic Restaurant

One of the first customer experiences, upon working through the front door of a restaurant, is cleanliness.  From kitchen or dining area odors, scuffed tile flooring or an unclean bathroom, the first warning of a potentially unsanitary facility can send guests heading for the door.

Additionally, high standards need to be met in order to avoid health-code violations as well as negative reviews of customers getting sick or employees being seriously injured.

Need more proof? According to a recent Harris poll survey, 86 percent of U.S. adults equate the cleanliness of a restaurant’s restroom with the cleanliness of its kitchen. The survey also revealed that 75 percent of U.S. adults would not return to a restaurant with dirty restrooms.

Maintaining a clean, healthy and accident free facility is important to your bottom line.  This can be a complicated task since there are various areas to clean and maintain.  Ultimately, overall guest experience and the health of employees contributes to how well does a restaurant perform.

Deciding to take on a portion of the tasks yourself or hire an experienced commercial restaurant hood cleaning service?  The following supplies should always be on-hand: broom, floor buffer, mop, vacuum, scrub buckets, microfiber cloths, cleaning brushes, trash bags, cleaning chemicals like disinfectants, bleach and glass cleaner.

The most effective and hygienic cleaning is to use a blend of techniques and tools to remove germs and soil.  Color-coded microfiber cloths for surface cleaning are 99 percent more effective than traditional cloth at removing germs and soil.  Furthermore, the reduction of cross-contamination from one area to the next, microfiber cloths should be color-coded, with exact color cloths designated for use in specific areas of the facility like the dining, kitchen or bathroom.

Cleaning the restaurant’s entrance, dining area, kitchen or bathroom, disinfectant solution needs to be strong enough to kill germs but safe for restaurant environment.  It is critical to read disinfectant labels to ensure they’re safe for the specific use in and around the restaurant areas.

Routinely, we think of the most noticeable surfaces to clean are countertops, chairs and tables but other overlooked areas include:

• Menus and tabletop promotional material
• Bathroom stall walls
• Paper towel
• Soap dispensers
• Light switches and fixtures
• Door handles

Maintaining a clean and hygienic restaurant will ensure patrons keep coming back to your facility. From the back of the kitchen, to the entryways, floors and restrooms, first impression of a guest’s mind will leave a positive outlook for customers, partners and employees.

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