6 Steps for Successful Spring Cleaning: Restaurant Edition

It’s a great time to ensure your restaurant is spick and span. That’s why we put together six steps for a successful spring cleaning to get you ahead.

 

Spring has sprung! We all know what that means for Memphis: sunny skies, bustling parks, and outdoor eating! Thankfully, Memphian restaurants are poised to serve their communities better and safer than ever.

Now is a great time to ensure your restaurant or establishment is spotless. It’s important to prepare, repair, and sanitize your business as we move from a stressful Winter to a hopefully safer and happier Summer! That’s why we’ve put together these six steps for a successful spring cleaning to get you ahead of the rush.

1. Curb Appeal

It’s easy to get used to what you see every day. But your guests will notice the things you might miss. Shake out the welcome mat, wipe off any dusty signs, and delight your guests—new and old—with fresh spring flowers. It’s the small details that welcome and uplift your patrons. Midtown Nursery is a great place to check out for fresh flowers. Don’t forget to sweep the sidewalks and check the lightbulbs, too.

2. Deep clean the bathrooms. Enough said.

This is everyone’s least favorite chore, but it’s the most important— especially for restaurants. A survey revealed 80% of customers would avoid a restaurant with a dirty bathroom . Just like service, atmosphere and food quality affect a restaurant’s reputation. A bathroom is no different. If you don’t care how clean your bathrooms are, how much do you care about cleanliness elsewhere in your restaurant? This will be the thought of a disgruntled customer vowing to never return to your establishment.

3. Clean the Kitchen Hood

Ice machines and kitchen hoods have a lot in common. Over time, dust and other buildup accumulate, preventing proper functionality. The only difference? Failing to clean a kitchen hood results in reduced air filtration and heat evacuation. In layman’s terms, the risk of a grease fire increases tenfold. If you ignore exhaustive kitchen hood cleaning, you jeopardize an insurance claim in the event of a fire. So please, clean your kitchen hood. You’ll be glad you did.

4. Bring Darkness to Light

The bottom of salt and pepper shakers. Decorative items shelved and forgotten never to be turned. Exactly where you don’t want to look. Where you never want to look; the corner of your eye. Make the time for an old-fashioned, thorough spring cleaning. Your nooks and crannies won’t know what hit ‘em!

5. Spray Down the Dumpster

Just like any back, the back of your building deserves a healthy spring cleaning. The return of Memphis heat means pesky pests!. Nip them in the bud with a strong powerwash on your dumpster and the surrounding area. Make your back dump sparkle.

6. Schedule Your Ice Machine Cleaning

Remember how important it is to clean your kitchen hood? We prefer restaurants not engulfed in flames. I’m sure you do too. We’re also big fans of clean, safe ice machines. What happens to your ice machine if you don’t clean it? Will your restaurant burn down? Well, probably not. But there are a few impactful and avoidable risks a knowledgeable cleaning prevents:

  • Serious foodborne illness
  • Health code violations 
  • Loss of business 

Remember: your ice machine is a mini food processing plant. Just as you clean dishes or tables, your ice machine needs consistent maintenance and cleaning to ensure the best customer experience from plate to bill. Be safe. Be healthy. Be smart. Schedule your ice machine cleaning today.

At Memphis Ice, we have a low-cost ice machine maintenance program for all of our renters. It gives you peace of mind so that you can focus on your business, while we ensure your ice machine is safe and sparkling.