Dec 18, 2017 - expert is a janitorial distributor. But not any distributor will do. Many are marketing a specific produc
KITCHEN
CLEANING from a VIEW Challenges and solutions for improved restaurant cleaning By David Purdy
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contractors to handle her cleaning needs. If the service was not up to par, she, like other restaurant owners, would just look for a new cleaning contractor. However, due to costs and other issues, most of the cleaning today is done in-house. This means that cleaning issues, at least in our scenario, are hers and hers alone to grapple with. Proper and effective cleaning is a very common problem for many restaurateurs. And with so many other issues they must deal with every day, cleaning — as vitally important as it is — tends to fall low on the priority list. The best way to address this situation is to turn to an expert, and in many cases, the best expert is a janitorial distributor. But not any distributor will do. Many are marketing a specific product line or one set of products or equipment. What we need is a distributor well-versed in the needs of the restaurant and foodservice industry and someone that has only one agenda: to determine what cleaning tools, cleaning solutions, equipment, and procedures are best to keep this restaurant clean and healthy. THE SITUATION
Consider the following scenario. A restaurateur has three different restaurants in Canada. One is in the historic section of a large city, another is an urban bistro, and the third is in a specialty location. All three are doing well and have developed sterling reputations. However, our restaurateur has an ongoing problem. While she is well-versed in managing cash flow, knows how to prepare and present interesting and delicious food, trains her staff to provide the ultimate service to guests, and oversees effective publicity for all three locations, when it comes to cleaning and maintenance, our skilled restaurateur stumbles. Cleaning quality, specifically in the back of the house, is inconsistent in all three locations. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes not so great; you just never know.
Another and somewhat intriguing problem is that of the three locations. The smallest one, which also has the smallest kitchen area, appears to be the most costly to clean and maintain. This is based on the amount of cleaning supplies that must be purchased for this location in comparison to the two others. We should also note that years ago, this restaurant owner, like many restaurant owners throughout Canada, previously had hired janitorial
When it comes to restaurant kitchen cleaning, many variables must be considered, all of which can influence how effectively the kitchen is cleaned, how much time it takes to clean the kitchen, and what products and equipment are necessary. For instance, restaurant kitchens can vary in several ways: The type of restaurant. A property that serves quick-service food may have more oil and grease issues than a more traditional restaurant. The age of the kitchen. While it is not always the case, an older kitchen is typically more difficult to clean. Older kitchens tend to have considerable soil build-up, which must be addressed to bring the kitchen up to necessary standards. The physical layout of the kitchen. Poorly designed kitchens and those congested with equipment that can take more cleaning time and more attention. Hot water. Not all restaurants have sufficient, uninterrupted hot water for cleaning to ensure they are maintained to the highest sanitary standards. The type of cooking equipment installed and the age of the equipment. Some newer
cooking equipment is better designed for cleaning than older kitchen equipment, and once again, older equipment may have its own set of cleaning challenges not found on newer systems.
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CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE Ventilation. This is a much more important
issue than many restaurateurs and restaurant managers may realize. Not only will proper ventilation keep cooking odours to a minimum, but it also helps dissipate airborne oils and grease, helping to minimize how much lands on cooking surfaces and floors. This makes cleaning easier. The “fatigue” factor. Many of the people that clean the kitchen have already put in a long, fast-paced day. The amount of worker fatigue is another issue that can impact cleaning effectiveness. Because of all these variables, the first step an astute distributor will take is to observe kitchen operations. If the property is open for breakfast, for instance, the distributor should be there early in the morning, watching the setup staff as they begin their work. He or she should then watch how the cooks and kitchen staff work together, the flow and operation of the kitchen. What we are looking for are the cleaning “pain points.” The distributor’s role is not to change kitchen operations unless he or she can offer advice as to how to make them more efficient. Instead, the distributor is analyzing the cleaning needs of the kitchen and what products and procedures and commercial kitchen best practices can help address those pain points. THE SOLUTIONS
What is likely the most important pain point the distributor will be examining is the kitchen floor and how it is currently being cleaned. The ways commercial kitchen floors are cleaned have evolved over the years. Older methods usually meant a kitchen was cleaned in many of the same ways a home kitchen was cleaned. That is not effective and no longer feasible. But very often, if the staff is not properly trained, this is how the kitchen will be cleaned. A more effective approach includes these steps: Start by making sure kitchen floors, which are typically quarry or ceramic, are sealed with a low- or anti-slip coating to foster proper sanitation and reduce the possibility of a slip-and-fall accident. This also makes floor cleaning easier and faster.
Check to make sure floor drains are unobstructed and working properly. Many kitchens now install anti-fatigue floor matting; these should be rolled up and removed from the floor before cleaning; they must be vacuumed and replaced frequently. All floor-care work should be performed before food handling/processing equipment is cleaned; this helps prevent floor soils and debris from becoming airborne and landing on workstations or equipment. Select cleaning solutions and degreasers specifically made for commercial kitchen floor cleaning. If using mops and buckets, they should be cleaned/changed daily or, for a large kitchen, two or three times in the cleaning process. Soiled mops and buckets can spread contaminants, grease, and oil across the floor, increasing contamination concerns. A squeegee should be used to move moisture into floor drains for quicker drying. A low-speed floor machine should be used at least once per week, or daily if necessary, to help loosen soils, grease and oil that may build up on floors. Use a blue or green scrubbing pad along with a 17-inch or 20-inch floor machine; a smaller machine is often preferable because it can better maneuver in and around counters and cooking areas in a kitchen. Mops, buckets, squeegees, chemicals and all floor care equipment should be stored off the ground on shelves or racks. This helps keep the equipment clean, allows the tools to properly air dry, and deters pests.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
A clean restaurant kitchen is mandatory. It prevents health problems, ensures safety in the prevention of slip and fall accidents, and helps build a restaurants good reputation. If owners or managers implement a system of standards along with regular consultations with a janitorial distributor, they can gain better control over this part of her business. This helps ensure cleaning is done more effectively and at the same time, can also help reduce cleaning costs.
David Purdy is the National Director of Sales for Swish Canada. He has worked with members of the foodservice industry for more than 13 years, helping them keep their properties healthy and clean. He can be reached via his company website at www.swishclean.com
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