When Are The Best Times to Clean My Restaurant?

As with other businesses, restaurants can experience a very high footfall at certain times of the day such as lunchtimes and in the evening for dinner reservations. In between these peak times however, restaurants can be a lot quieter.

Restaurant cleaning is essential,  not only for providing a safe working environment for staff but a hygienic dining experience for guests. It's necessary to identify the most efficient times to clean that will be the most efficient for both staff members and guests alike. For example, deciding to do a thorough restaurant clean at 7 pm is a lot less efficient than a Monday morning clean at 8 am.

Restaurant cleaning checklist

Before we dive into your cleaning essentials, let's look at a checklist of areas that require cleaning in a restaurant.

Front of house

First impressions really do matter, and even something as simple as having clean windows can help your restaurant shine and attract customers.

A restaurant's front of house refers to any area that a guest will see during their time at your restaurant. This includes the entryway and waiting area, the bar, dining room, outdoor seating areas and of course the restrooms.

It's essential to follow the highest food safety standards by providing a clean restaurant. By neglecting cleanliness, you risk germs and bacteria spreading to your guests, through surfaces and the food. Also, don't ignore the little things such as having sanitised salt and pepper shakers on tables.

Back of house

A restaurant's back of house refers to areas that the staff work in, such as kitchens, storage rooms, break areas and offices.

As the food is prepared in the kitchen, it's particularly important to pay extra attention to this area and regularly sanitise surfaces to avoid cross contamination and bacteria build up. The same goes for the food storage areas, especially when fruits and vegetables aren't individually wrapped and are therefore susceptible to bacteria.

Restaurant kitchen cleaning checklist

As kitchen cleaning is so essential in a restaurant, here's a checklist for some important thing to remember. To keep to a good cleaning schedule, you should:

• Sweep and mop floors
• Clear recycling bins and empty trash bins
• Clean appliances such as cookers, coffee makers and grease traps
• Dust light fixtures and other high, hard to reach areas
• Check any pest traps and discard appropriately
• Wipe down high traffic surfaces, such as where food is placed once its ready to be served

Finding the best times to clean for your business

A good place to start is by identifying when the busiest times of your day are and when your restaurant has the least customer bookings or walk ins. For some whose restaurant sees a very high traffic, it can be beneficial to clean either before you open or after you close, ready for the next day.

It may also be a good idea to have smaller cleans throughout the day. We recommend a thorough cleaning of food preparation areas in the morning to keep the surfaces germ free. Around midway through the working day, it's worth undertaking some lighter cleaning such as wiping down touch points such as doorknobs and handles. Once the restaurant closes for the day, it's recommended that you undertake another thorough clean to remove excess food waste and bacteria that's built up over the course of the day.

Why leave cleaning to the professionals?

Why waste precious time out of your busy days to undergo lengthy cleaning routines? With the help of a professional commercial cleaning company, you can focus on delivering expert services to your guests, while they focus on providing you with a spotless work environment. Let's have a look at some more benefits below.

Cleaning tasks made easy

Professional commercial cleaners can undergo cleaning tasks quickly and efficiently. They are equipped with all the best tools for the job and have extensive training in COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health).

Deep cleans are also required for your business premises at least once every 6 months and these often require higher strength chemicals that professionals are trained to use safely.

Focus on making great food and delivering excellent customer service

2 things are key when it comes to restaurants, great food and even better customer service. Taking time out of a busy schedule can prevent chefs from operating as efficiently as they need to and cause a lot of pressure in the kitchen with dozens of plates coming back to be washed up. On top of that if there is then a large demand for cleaning, it can seem an impossible task.

With the help of professionals, you can focus on what's important and that's making your customers happy.

Leave restaurant cleaning to the professionals

Choosing the right commercial cleaner for your restaurant is essential if you want the best results. Professional cleaners can help you set up a bespoke cleaning schedule that works around your hours. With services available all around the clock, there's no better time to start than now.

Jani-King is a commercial cleaning company that delivers expert services to clients all across the nation. We help restaurants thrive by providing them with happy and healthy premises ready to exceed customer expectations.

We will work with you to create a cleaning schedule that's able to meet your business demands and deliver to the highest standard every time. If you'd like to find out more then don't hesitate to contact us.