WHAT A DUMP! Or God Is In The Details

 Not long ago, I walked through a restaurant’s parking lot with friends on the way to the front door for lunch. We passed a dumpster, out of which garbage was flowing, rats were crawling and disgusting smells were wafting. We never made the front door.

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Verdana">“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” yes">  So I’ve been told. Never made sense to me growing up on a farm. But for foodservice operators? Cleanliness plays a huge part in creating brand credibility. Just recently I was encouraged by a neighboring business person in Seattle to go check out the back (outside) of a local restaurant. As Bart Simpson would exclaim, “Cowabunga dude!” How many other people have viewed the mess I saw? And might that not explain that restaurant’s current business slump? If it looks like that outside, how confident can guests be of inside sanitation?

Guests are more aware of the presence of germs, dirt and potential health risks in foodservices and restaurants than at any time in history. Sanitation is one of the top three factors people consider when selecting dining destinations. Though customers may not see directly into kitchens, they notice tell-tale signs: compacted dirt along floor moldings, undusted window sills, inappropriately aromatic bathrooms, spotted rugs. Don’t think customers aren’t looking at uncleaned bussing stations, dusty hallways, messy points of entry and dirty aprons on servers. Surveys reveal that food is less important to guests than cleanliness.

The biggest culprit is grease – and its attendant side effects. Grease migrates. This is why manufacturers now offer degreasers, power dissolvers and other products to tackle the greasiest kitchen cleaning jobs. I consistently see operators eschew paying for a regular kitchen deep cleaning service in favor of marketing materials or new TV’s for the bar. Who wants to watch TV in a dirty bar and eat suspect chicken wings?

Great relationships with vendors can make a critical difference, but only if operators are motivated to ask for counsel about the proper use of cleaning chemicals or what’s new in green janitorial supplies. Vendors can confirm that cleaning equipment is being used properly. Operators ensure employees know how to use a $10,000 convection-microwave oven – why not how to clean the front-of-the-house properly?

Have you looked at your facility’s windows lately? The rungs of dining room chairs that never receive the touch of a cloth? Are servers wiping salt and pepper shakers, assuring normal">everything on the table is spot perfect? Can dirty hoods and work surfaces be seen through pass-through windows by guests? And those pesky - “pesty” - dumpster areas? It’s all a part of entry-to-alley cleanliness commitment.

13.0pt;line-height:150%;mso-bidi-font-family:Verdana">Maintaining a sanitary facility does not fall to to just one person or a janitorial service. But it does begin with managers and the values they instill in their operations. It requires a collaborative pride in a place to expresses genuine concern for guests, respect for the concept and devotion to the saintly details that contributes to excellence. But creating that type of culture is for another blog. Meanwhile,  please, keep it clean!