Cleanliness and hygiene have become top of mind for consumers throughout the current pandemic and can impact your restaurant’s bottom line. According to a survey conducted by M/A/R/C Research and National In-Store, 29 percent of participants said they would continue visiting an unclean store only if it were necessary. Unfortunately, not many find visiting a restaurant a necessity, so keeping it clean, sanitized, and disinfected is more important than ever.
Because of the heightened scrutiny on disinfection, it’s important to periodically review your current practices and discuss your options with restaurant cleaning experts.
You want your restaurant’s reviews to reflect the exceptional quality of your food, service, and ambiance, but more often than not, a restaurant’s toilet ends up taking a prime spot in the reviews. We’ve put together a guide to keep your restaurant sparkling clean and disinfected, so that your customers can focus on what makes your restaurant the talk of the town.
We often see a server spray a table and wipe it down immediately. But is that really all it takes to clean and disinfect it? Short answer is no. Many cleaning products require the solution to stay on surfaces for a minute or longer to properly disinfect.
Cleaning is using soap and water to remove the visible dirt or debris from a surface, but pathogens like bacteria and viruses still linger. Wiping down a table isn’t going to be as effective as a proper disinfection process would be.
Sanitizing is an added layer of protection. It’s the use of sanitizing solutions that kill germs to a safe and sanitized level determined by regulating agencies in your state. This means that there will still be a number of pathogens sitting on surfaces, but it certainly offers more protection than just cleaning.
Disinfecting is the use of more effective chemicals that kill almost all pathogens. To thoroughly disinfect, a thorough cleaning should be administered first. Although not every surface requires this level of protection, consumers have become more conscious of a business’ efforts to protect the health and safety of their customers. Disinfection services greatly reduce the spread of infection, and this is now more important than ever.
It can be difficult to see the value of disinfection services because at a glance, when a guest looks at their table, there is no way for them to know whether the table is cleaned or disinfected. That is why it’s important to display in your facility that your restaurant has been serviced with their protection in mind. Anago Cleaning Systems provides a Protection+ display badge when you receive their Protection+ DisinfectionTM services. You can showcase this badge of protection to your guests so they know you have their health and safety in mind.
Electrostatic sprayers have become a popular disinfection service and are key especially when a reported outbreak has occurred. Companies even offer 2-hour emergency response, 24 hours a day, for such unfortunate occasions. Electrostatic spraying is an efficient and quick method to thoroughly disinfect surfaces in large areas like a restaurant’s dining room. These devices spray positively charged particles that easily cling to surfaces, which are negatively charged, to ensure every nook has been disinfected.
It’s crucial to do your due diligence when seeking disinfection services because an unqualified service provider can create health risks for your guests and staff and can even damage your equipment. The current pandemic saw a rise in disinfection scams of companies offering bogus disinfection services and making false claims. Beware of providers offering zappers, virus-busting cards, or spices that kill off viruses. The EPA has a comprehensive guide and list of appropriate disinfectants for the novel coronavirus.
Beyond having a reputable cleaning provider service your restaurant, you want to make sure your staff is adequately trained and educated on proper cleaning and disinfection procedures. Do they know the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting? Are they following the proper manufacturer’s instructions of the cleaning products they use? Periodically assessing your practices and coordinating with the cleaning experts will ensure that your restaurant is running safely and comfortably for your guests and staff.
