Where Restaurants Often Fall Short with Cleanliness

If you were to ask most people what their top concern is when eating in a restaurant, cleanliness would most likely be the resounding answer.?

This is especially true in the years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last few years have instilled a strong awareness of cleanliness and hygiene in public spaces, and people want to know they’re dining in safe, sanitized eateries.?

According to stats from the last couple of years, 89% of diners said having employees visibility cleaning or sanitizing always makes them feel safer.?

Additionally, 77% of respondents said that a food service establishment’s cleaning policies will impact their intent to visit.??

However, despite efforts to maintain the public’s high standards for cleanliness, many restaurants still fall short. Whether it’s a bug problem or perpetually nasty bathrooms, it’s common for many places to score low in the hygiene department –?and that can dramatically impact their business.?

As someone with more than 20 years of experience running a commercial cleaning business, I’ve seen many restaurants miss the cleanliness mark firsthand, and here are the three main culprits contributing to the issue.?

(1) Lack of Education?

One of the leading problems I see is a lack of education in restaurant employees. Many eateries aren’t hiring professional cleaners, but they’re also failing to properly train their own workers in the latest cleaning techniques and standards. To maintain a truly safe and sanitary environment, cleaners in restaurants need to be well-versed in several key areas:

• Food Safety Protocols: All restaurant employees should understand basic food safety principles, including proper storage, handling, and disposal of food items to prevent contamination.
• Cleaning Techniques: They should be trained in effective cleaning techniques for different surfaces and equipment, using appropriate cleaning agents and tools to remove dirt, grease, and bacteria effectively.
• Sanitization Procedures: Restaurant employees must know how to properly sanitize surfaces to kill harmful bacteria and viruses, especially in high-risk areas such as food preparation areas, countertops, and dining tables.
• Hygiene Practices: Emphasizing personal hygiene practices such as handwashing, wearing clean uniforms, and using protective gear like gloves can prevent cross-contamination and ensure a hygienic environment.
• Chemical Safety: Understanding the safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals is crucial to prevent accidents and ensure the health and safety of both employees and customers.

If restaurants are not going to outsource to a cleaning company or hire trained cleaners to work in their facilities, they need to invest in better training for their current employees. This training shouldn’t just be a part of initial onboarding procedures –?it should be recurring and continually supervised.?

(2) Lack of Budget?

Another significant problem in the world of restaurants is a lack of budget for cleaning supplies, labor, and documentation. Although a small cafe might only cost $50 per session, bigger spaces can easily incur cleaning costs in the thousands every month. In fact, the average “large” commercial restaurant spent an average of $1,500 per month in 2023. As a CNN article stated last year, it’s never been easy to operate a restaurant, but it’s become even harder in recent years. There are fewer restaurants today than there were in 2019, and many restaurant operators lament the rising costs of rent, ingredients, and staffing. As a result, cleaning expenses are often overlooked in the budget –?if not seriously trimmed. Many owners have resorted to asking their current employees to take on cleaning tasks that, as previously mentioned, are not trained to properly address. Not only do employees need to be better educated, but restaurants need to think about things like negotiating more competitive cleaning rates and finding ways to maximize their dollars for professional service.

(3) Lack of Interest or Motivation

The truth of it is that the average restaurant employee likely doesn’t care all that much about cleanliness. A study released just recently found that the restaurant industry has THE highest degree of employee burnout. Many employees attribute their burnout to high-stress levels, poor management, long hours, and overwhelming tasks. All in all, it’s not surprising that the average employee isn’t eager to add cleaning chores to their long list of complaints. As a result, I’ve witnessed many workers skipping opening and closing routines, ignoring cleaning protocols, or simply letting messes sit. What can we do about it? In my opinion, it’s time for more restaurants to start looking for professional cleaning services that can help maintain high levels of cleanliness and prevent high turnover rates amongst their burned-out workers.

In Summary?

There’s a fork in the path, and restaurants and their customers are each headed in a different direction. The average diner has higher expectations for sanitation and hygiene than ever, and yet restaurants are continuously forced to cut back on their cleaning protocols due to poor staffing, a lack of training, and slim budgets. Where does that leave us? If you ask me, it leaves the restaurant industry in desperate need of affordable, efficient, and comprehensive third-party cleaning services.

To learn more, please visit the Simply Crystal Clean website.?

Connect with the President Bita Safari: [email protected]