7 Secrets to Keeping Your Restaurant Clean
Keeping your restaurant clean is crucial, but no one said it was going to be easy! There’s so much to keep in mind, from sanitizing nooks and crannies, to making sure your staff looks as presentable as your entrees. Lucky for you, we are going to let you in on seven secrets that will help keep your restaurant clean!
- Create Organized Checklists that Delegate Duties for Front and Back of House
In this industry, this is typically called sidework. This is a standard operating procedure in many restaurants. Both weekly and monthly checklists are a great way to make sure no area in the restaurant is going untouched. These lists should include, but are not limited to, the following:
Overhead shelves, drawers, walk in refrigerators, chair backs and legs. When using extensive cleaning supplies, the results will be clear. Keeping your establishment clean and sanitary will break the chain of inspection between customers and employees. These lists must be followed up by managerial supervision.
2. Keeping the Kitchen Clean is Crucial in Restaurants
The kitchen area is often very busy and gets dirty. Checklists should also be used for the back of house. Lists for cleaning the kitchen should include: underneath and behind all cooking equipment, walls and ceilings that have been splattered with grease or food, underside of all preparation surfaces,trash cans and the area around them, all cloths and aprons, can openers and soda fountain nozzles depending on location. Industrial strength degreasers and cleaners work best for commercial kitchens. Always keep a sanitizer in stock. We recommend sanitizing everything after its been cleaned.
3. A Clean Dining Room is Essential
Customers spend most of their time in the dining room. They often look around to see what’s clean and what isn’t. It is very important to make sure even the littlest things in the dining room are clean such as: condiment containers, underneath both tables and chairs, walls, menus, glassware, and silverware. If customers notice a dirty object, it might ruin their experience and even cause them to leave the restaurant. Something may not appear dirty, however bacteria is still there. Always make sure everything is thoroughly cleaned so germs aren’t passed around.
4. Restrooms
Restrooms are another area that require frequent cleaning and maintenance. In many cases, bathrooms are shared with customers and employees. It is very important to prevent cross contamination and properly cleaning bathrooms will help with this. Toilet bowls and seats should be scrubbed as well as the floor around the toilet. Door handles and faucets need to be sanitized. Dispensers for soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer should always be fully stocked. When restrooms are kept clean, customers feel confident on the cleanliness of the rest of the establishment. Make sure an employee is regularly checking the bathroom, especially during busy hours.
5. Staff
Although you can’t clean your staff, you can inspect them before each shift. Front of house staff interacts with customers. Therefore, they need to present a clean and neat appearance. Check on your staff and pay close attention to the following: clean fingernails, neat hair, no visible open cuts, and no overpowering odors. Clean uniforms must always be worn. It is important to keep every aspect of your restaurant clean so can keep your customers happy and healthy.
6. Dishes
All plates should have excess food scraped off into a food only bin or garbage. All dishes should then be hand washed in hot and soapy water followed by being placed in a commercial dishwasher. It is very important that plates be disinfected within the dishwasher as hand washing may not kill all bacteria. Cleaning the dishwasher daily as well as changing the water in the machine is needed to have clean dishes.
7. Equipment
Equipment is usually purchased from third parties. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions on proper usage and care. If not employees can get hurt. Several work injuries include cuts and burns. These can all be avoided if the right safety equipment is available. In restaurants, proper footwear for all employees is crucial! All employees including front of house and back of house, and management should all be wearing non-slip shoes. This can prevent falls when working in slippery areas. It is very important to have safety and health rules enforced consistently. Every single piece of equipment needs to be cleaned as this will help the restaurant at whole.
Restaurants must maintain a clean environment for employees and customers. Every area of the restaurant must be properly cleaned to ensure safe food preparation and food handling. To successfully execute safe food measures, your entire team must work attentively. This will create a better and healthier environment for all team members and customers.
