If you run a restaurant, you know that cooking meals and hosting guests can take a toll on your space. From the appliances to tables, there are lots of surfaces to trap grease and germs. Fortunately, with a robust cleaning regiment, you can maintain a clean and inviting restaurant.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading to discover the only restaurant cleaning checklist you’ll ever need!
Kitchen Cleaning Should Be Organized on a Calendar
The best approach to maintaining a restaurant cleaning checklist is using a calendar to stay organized. You can determine which tasks should occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. That way, you won’t waste time on tasks that don’t need to happen every day.
With a structured checklist, you can allocate responsibilities to specific employees. And the result will be a kitchen and dining room that hold up for a longer period of time. Make updating your checklist every quarter part of the goals in your business plan.
Wipe Down Everything Every Day
A key part of cleaning a restaurant is wiping down items with water each day. This can include wiping down the flattop, coffee maker, or fryer in your kitchen. With front of house cleaning, you’ll want to wipe down countertops, walls, and bathroom sinks.
Wiping down surfaces and appliances like this helps to prevent grease from gaining an advantage. You’ll also help prevent dangerous bacteria from growing on countertops, and get rid of scuff marks or crusted food. Clean surfaces communicate a level of professionalism that diners will appreciate!
Clean All Equipment During Back of House Cleaning
The kitchen takes on the brunt of the workload when it comes to food prep. And you need to make sure your kitchen staff knows exactly what tasks are under their jurisdiction once the last ticket is complete. Each night, they should be sanitizing prep surfaces and emptying the trash.
They also need to clean sinks and wipe down anything from microwaves to coffee pots. On a weekly basis, they’ll want to clean the ovens and deep fryer so these expensive pieces of equipment remain functional. On top of that, the walk-in kitchen needs to be wiped down.
Bigger tasks, like cleaning the freezer or sanitizing the espresso machine, should happen each month. Plan on cleaning out grease traps and attending to your exhaust system, too.
Sometimes it can be helpful and safer to outsource major cleanings to the pros. Hood cleaning experts can clean your kitchen exhaust system and help reduce the risk of fires. Grease can build-up can cause flammable conditions, but experts can remove residue using specialized cleaning products and techniques.
Sanitize Surfaces During Front of House Cleaning
With so many people cycling through your restaurant’s dining room, you’ll need to stay on top of sanitizing surfaces. This means using bleach or another commercial cleaning product to cut through germs and viruses. If you neglect to do this, you put the health of your guests at risk.
Sanitize tables on a daily basis after closing. And in between diners, use a rag designated for cleaning tables to remove sticky substances and oils that form on the tabletops.
While you’re at it, sanitize seats, benches, and other surfaces that are used frequently by guests. At times of the year when germs run rampant, like flu season, you’ll help control the spread.
Sanitizing the bathroom also needs to be a weekly occurrence with front of house cleaning. You can assign an employee to do this or hand the responsibility to a commercial cleaning company.
Clean Floors Should Be on Your Restaurant Cleaning Checklist
Dirty floors can be a major turn-off for prospective diners. They also can be a hazard for both guests and employees. Cleaning a restaurant needs to involve tackling dirty floors.
Especially during the winter months, guests may track slush and snow into your space. Have a mop discreetly tucked near the hostess stand and ask the employee on duty to clean when puddles are visible.
Ask someone on your kitchen staff to tackle the floors before the night is over. Mopping up grease will prevent dangerous falls in the kitchen. Just be sure to save this task for the end of the day.
Keep Your Walls Free of Grime
Have you ever looked closely at the walls in your bathroom? After frequent use, they’re usually covered in a musty film of soap scum. Unfortunately, kitchen and restaurant walls often reflect a similar level of grime on the walls.
Grease from cooking and steam from food can do a number on your walls. Streaks and drip marks of oily residue will add an unflattering look to the front and back of the house. And this can reach your ceiling, too.
You don’t have to blow your budget to fix this problem. Water, sponges, and a bucket can get the job done every month. And it doesn’t hurt to add a new coat of paint every few years to ensure that your dining room walls always look fresh.
Don’t Forget to Dust
The last thing a guest wants to see is a giant cobweb stretching across a windowsill. Dusting may seem like such a simple task that it’s not worth doing. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth!
Take the time to dust your windows, walls, and light fixtures every week. Doing this will help light filter into your space, making it brighter and more inviting. Similarly, be sure to take care of any artwork or signage that could be a magnet for dust.
Stay Current with Kitchen Cleaning
When it comes to keeping a restaurant cleaning checklist, aim to be diligent. You’ll save money in the long run because appliances and furniture will perform better with routine cleaning. You’ll also show your customers that you take care with food prep and want them to have the best service possible!
To learn more strategies to keep your properties looking good, check back for new articles.
