As a restaurant owner, you know that keeping your establishment clean is necessary for providing great food as well as passing public health department inspections.

You also know that spring is the perfect time to deeply cleanse and sanitize your restaurant.

Check out some of these Spring Cleaning strategies that not only clean your restaurant, but also help your business improve services, increase safety and save money.

Sprucing Up to Improve Customer Experiences

86% of customers are willing to pay more for better experiences. Extend the clean-up to all aspects of your restaurant to provide customers with the exceptional service they desire.

• Make it shine where it counts: USA Today reports that a third of consumers won’t give a restaurant a second chance if their bathroom is dirty. Deep cleaning in the kitchen matters, however, concentrate first on areas your customers see: bathrooms, entranceways, dining areas, and exteriors.
• Freshen up your presentation: Do table linens, curtains, plates, uniforms, and delivery materials look out-of-date, worn, or old? Are they beyond cleaning? Now is the perfect time to replace and modernize for a fresh, professional look your customers will notice.
• Streamline ordering processes: Online ordering accounts for 43% of all food delivery orders. Implement digital ordering technology now, or ensure your current technology is up to par; Grubhub advises that 6 out of 10 customers say speed equals satisfaction.
• Menu clean-up: Customers like seasonal items; add a few dishes featuring seasonal ingredients to increase sales and set your restaurant apart from the competition.
• Re-train your staff with the “3 R’s”:
  1. Revisit your mission and values.
  2. Review procedures for delivering great food.
  3. Reinforce protocols for providing excellent customer service.

Tuning it up

Spring cleaning is also an ideal time to check up on the basics of safety.

• Food handling safety: Brush your staff up on proper techniques and temperatures for storing, handling, chopping, and cooking meat, dairy, and other cold foods to avoid foodborne illnesses.
• Electrical review: Wipe lighting fixtures clean of grease, dust and build-up throughout your restaurant, and make sure wiring and outlets are in good shape. Replace anything that looks hazardous.
• Flooring inspection: Did you know that slip-and-fall incidents are the #1 injury among food service employees? Here are some tips:
  • Maintain rubber “non-slip” floor mats that are worn down, or replace them if they have lost their grip.
  • Get mats that snap together to create larger spaces of even flooring in high traffic areas
  • Keep your bucket and mop clean. Have fresh water mixed with a sanitizer ready to go in the mop.
  • Look into liquid slip-resistant treatment solutions

Saving Energy + Money

Deep cleaning and calibrating helps your equipment run more efficiently—ultimately saving you money.

• Screen and filter maintenance: Cleaning or replacing exhaust screens—as well as A/C and water filters—prevents these units from working harder than they must, which translates into lower energy bills.
• Cooling units check-up: Faulty refrigerator/cooler seals should be replaced to prevent cool air from escaping. Also, double-check that temperatures are set properly.
• Degrease to increase efficiency: Thoroughly degreasing ovens, grills, grease traps and other equipment helps it run more efficiently and use less energy as well.

With these Spring cleaning strategies, you’ll be able to start afresh and help your restaurant blossom.

Learn 3 ways to incorporate seasonal items into your menu.

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Header image by @pan_xiaozhen via unsplash