After a few too many sodas, you have to face the restaurant bathroom. How clean is it going to be? Did you bring your bottle of hand sanitizer in case it is gross? It’s easy to begin to wonder just how long it has been since anyone took a brush to the toilet you are about to use.
How often should a restaurant bathroom be cleaned? Restaurant staff should check the cleanliness of the bathroom a few times a day, as well as complete full cleanings as needed based on the size of the restaurant and how busy it is.
- Small restaurants typically only require daily cleaning.
- Medium restaurants with more activity typically need between two and four cleanings.
- Large, busy restaurants need their bathrooms cleaned between six and ten times a day.
It can be hard for a restaurant to keep up on bathroom cleanings during a rush of customers. Proper cleaning of the bathrooms, however, is essential to your business. How can you manage to keep things clean without falling behind? Read on to find out the importance of bathroom cleanliness in a restaurant, how to clean bathrooms correctly, and more.
How Many Times a Day Should a Restaurant Bathroom Be Cleaned?
Every restaurant will vary on how often they should clean their bathrooms. It usually varies day by day as well, with Friday nights and the weekends requiring more cleanings than during the week. The more customers served in a day, the more often the bathroom should be cleaned.
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For small restaurants, a daily or twice daily cleaning should be enough. Regardless of the size of the restaurant, it should be cleaned at least once daily! The FDA has strict regulations on the cleanliness of restaurants, and violations, including dirty bathrooms, can force restaurants to close.
Even if it is only a mildly busy, mid-sized restaurant, the bathrooms may need to be cleaned between two and five times a day. While this is less than large restaurants, these restaurants typically have a smaller staff. It’s harder for them to find time to clean the bathrooms.
Large, busy restaurant bathrooms should be cleaned between 6 to 10 times a day or more. The simple reason for the increased cleanings is the number of customers they serve. The bathrooms quickly get gross and messy in these restaurants, which is why they should be cleaned so much.
How Do Restaurants Clean Bathrooms?
Public restrooms, in restaurants or other places, should have an organized list of tasks required to clean it. A good manager will assign different duties to the staff and have a system in place to ensure they have done their job.
A sample list of cleaning duties for a typical restaurant bathroom is:
- Wipe down and sanitize the counters.
- Wipe down and sanitize the sink, scrubbing if necessary.
- Clean and sanitize the toilet.
- Sanitize toilet paper dispenser, door locks, toilet handles, etc. in the stalls.
- Refill the soap dispensers, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.
- Sweep the floors.
- Take out the trash.
- Mop the floors.
- Sanitize the door handles on your way out.
It’s important to work “from top to bottom” when cleaning in a restaurant. For example, if you swept and mopped first, you’ll only make another mess while scrubbing the toilets and sink. This can be difficult if you have several employees all pitching in.
A good, well-organized restaurant will have not only a list of what needs to be done and who must do it but also in what order. Ideally, you’ll assign chores according to their work schedules. The morning people do the first few chores; the evening crew finishes the list.
What Things Should Restaurants Clean Often in the Bathroom?
Even in small restaurants, there are a few things in the restroom that should be regularly cleaned. A few of the chores you may see being done in a good restaurant’s bathroom semi-regularly are:
- Wiping down the countertop.
- Taking out the trash.
- Sweeping the floor.
- Wiping out the sink.
- Checking to see if anything needs to be refilled.
Soap being spilled over the countertop or in the sink is one of the first things you may notice. Overflowing trash, toilet paper on the floor, and empty paper towel dispensers are all turnoffs, right?
Restaurants prioritizing a clean restroom will have their employees check these simple things once each hour. Especially in busy restaurants, a simple, quick tidying up and sanitizing of the bathroom leaves a significantly better impression on people.
How Important Is Bathroom Cleanliness for a Restaurant?
If you own or manage a restaurant and notice a decline of returning customers, your restrooms may be the cause! The truth is simple: no one wants to use a dirty bathroom. Just how much damage can that do?
According to USA Today, the news of a dirty restaurant bathroom can spread like the plague and destroy a business. It also goes on to say that nearly 30% of patrons won’t return if they encountered a dirty bathroom. That’s a large portion of a restaurant’s profit margin!
Why do people react so severely to dirty bathrooms? One concern is how clean the kitchen is if the bathroom is disgusting. After all, if a restaurant isn’t taking the time to clean a bathroom, how much time are they spending cleaning the food prep areas?
The QRS magazine suggests a much higher percentage of people wouldn’t come back because of a dirty bathroom. They claim 80% of patrons don’t return because of the bathroom. While this number may be too high, dirty bathrooms certainly impact the amount of returning customers.
How to Ensure Your Staff Keeps Your Restaurant Bathroom Clean
Setting up a list and assigning specific duties to your crew is the most effective way for a restaurant manager to keep the bathrooms clean. Many kitchens already handle kitchen chores this way; don’t be afraid to move it out to the front of the house, too!
One of the reasons restaurant bathrooms fail is because only one person is expected to take care of the restroom cleanliness. No one wants to clean the bathroom. However, dividing up the duties makes it easier for your staff, as no one person must do all of the dirty business.
It’s also essential to help your staff remember to check the bathrooms frequently. A simple check-in, wipe down, and clean trash bag won’t take them away from their other duties for too long. This is the best option when you’re especially busy.
If you notice bathrooms only being cleaned when they have to do their chores, you could also make a schedule for check-ins. One person can do it for an entire day, or you can rotate your crew throughout the day.
It’s up to you, as a manager, to make sure your staff takes care of the restroom cleanliness!
Conclusion
Restaurant bathrooms need varying amounts of cleaning, but there shouldn’t be excessive trash or a mess at any point. For the customer, a dirty bathroom is concerning at the very least, and a reason to leave and never return at the most extreme. One of the biggest turn-offs for some people is a dirty bathroom.
For restaurant owners and managers, a dirty bathroom may be all that’s standing in between you and a thriving restaurant. Your staff should have clear instructions on how to clean the bathroom and should never wonder who’s supposed to do what. Confusion with the cleaning duties will only cause the bathroom to become a mess!
