Restaurants across the country have been able to open back up for limited in-person dining, with different restrictions based on the city or state. If you own a restaurant, now is the time to deep clean your restaurant and step up your dedication to keeping your restaurant sparkling clean.
A clean restaurant is one of the best ways to win back the trust of your customers and to get your business flowing again.
Start with a Deep Clean
Before you open your restaurant back up to the public if you are currently not open, you are going to want to deep clean your restaurant. Patrons are going to be looking and examine the cleanliness of restaurants from a new angle, so you are going to want to make sure that everything is clean.
This is not the time to allow dust, dirt, or stains to build up in your restaurant. If a customer sees that you have food stains on the walls of your restaurant, for example, they may not believe that you are capable of keeping your restaurant clean enough to protect them from COVID-19.
Understand the Difference Between Cleaning and Sanitizing
Second, it is important that you and your employees understand the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. When you clean, you are using soap and water to get rid of dirt and possibly food. When you sanitize, you are using a chemical that will get rid of the unseen germs.
For example, if someone takes a soapy rag and wipes down a table, they have cleaned the table. However, for the table to be sanitized, they would need to then go over the surface with a cleaning solution that will kill the germs that are present. They would need to go over the table with a rag that has been dipped in a bleach-water solution, or they would need to spray a bleach-water solution on the table to clean it.
Know What to Focus on Sanitizing
Third, it is important that your staff knows what to focus on sanitizing during the day when customers are present in your restaurant. During the day, when customers are present, you are going to want to focus on sanitizing high-touch surfaces.
In a restaurant, that would include things such as the door handles going into the restaurant as well as the bathroom. In the bathroom area, that would include most bathroom surfaces, such as the handle on the toilet, the stall door, and the handles on the faucets in the bathroom. In the dining area, you would want to sanitize the tables and chairs after each customer leaves.
Menus are a high-touch point as well. However, many restaurants are choosing to use paper menus that can be disposed of after each customer instead of cleaning the menus.
If you are getting ready to reopen your restaurant, start with a deep cleaning so you can show your customers you are dedicated to providing them with a clean space. Make sure, once your business is open, that you don't just clean, you sanitize. Sanitizing is what really kills the germs.
Train your staff on what to sanitize during the day when customers are present, and bring in a professional cleaning staff to deep clean in the evenings. Providing a clean environment where people stay safe will help your restaurant make it through this time period.
To learn more, contact a resource that offers COVID-19 deep cleaning services.
