Running a bar or restaurant is pretty challenging, but cleaning hacks for a commercial kitchen can help lighten up the load. Maintaining the food service kitchen is the main priority. After all, a dirty restaurant or bar will kill business immediately, but a poorly cleaned and disorganized one will have the same result. Keep employees healthy and customers contented and happy by following simple commercial kitchen cleaning hacks.
According to the NRA or National Restaurant Association, there are over one million restaurants in the United States alone. This number is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years. Industry sales reached a staggering $800 billion at the end of 2017, a 4.3% increase from the year before. It follows a trend of Americans eating at restaurants more. In 1955, people spent only 25% of their money on restaurant drinks and foods. Today, people spend at least 45% of their money on eating out, and this number will continue to climb exponentially.
To find out more about the NRA, check out this site for more info.
The importance of cleanliness in this industry
While the numbers look good for the industry, a messy kitchen is a sure way to avoid success. Cleanliness is an essential part of the consumer experience. It has a substantial direct impact on the number of spending retailers can capture.
Consumers will not only avoid bars and restaurants the smell less than fresh and look unclean; they will take a picture and post in on social media pages like Yelp, Twitter, or Facebook. This type of social media sharing will spread fast and can ruin reputations very quickly. Add in failed health inspections, and restaurants will be in real trouble.
Trip Hazard: A huge restaurant risk
While the safety of foods and drinks is the main driver for a kitchen cleaning, there are reasons why businesses need to keep their kitchens clean. Wet and greasy floors can lead to falls and slip accidents, which can be pretty costly. Disorganized storage spaces are not only dangerous tripping hazards; it can also lead to spoiled or lost inventory. Poorly maintained mats can also be a hazard for employees.
At least three million workers in the food service industry have a fall and slip accident each year. The costs of these accidents in the industry reached more than two billion dollars annually. Numbers Like these make cleaning for safety the primary priority of business in this industry.
Visit https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/articles/safety-in-the-kitchen-5-common-kitchen-accidents-and-how-to-avoid-them for more information about common kitchen accidents.
Challenges in cleaning restaurant kitchens
Let us face it, restaurants are bustling places, and conventional cleaning can feel pretty overwhelming, especially when different kitchen areas require different approaches. For example, cleaning greasy floors may be more complicated than cleaning walk-in refrigerators.That is why businesses either train their own employees or hire a firm like the Leeds Cleaning Company to do the job for them. Training in-house or hiring a professional both has its advantages and disadvantages. But it still depends on what method will suit the restaurant’s needs.
A checklist for cleaning restaurants
Since restaurant kitchens are pretty vast and complex, a checklist is necessary to have an organized operation. There are downloadable PDFs that workers can check off when a task is complete. The work is divided between monthly, weekly, and daily tasks.
Monthly:
Wash the vent hood
Wash the ceilings and walls to help remove grease buildup
Empty the grease trap
Sanitize and clean freezer
Sanitize and clean ice machine
Clean the refrigerator coil
Run a cleaning chemical through the coffee machine
Wash the hotline, from top to bottom
Weekly:
Clean doors, racks, and walls
De-lime faucets and sinks
Boil out the deep fryer
Sanitize and wash the walk-in freezer and refrigerator
Clean the floor drain
Daily:
Clean the griddle, grill, range, fryer, and flattop. Do not forget the underside
Wipe down walls from top to bottom
Change foil linings on top of flat tops, grills, and ranges
Wipe down other kitchen equipment: slicers, toasters, microwaves, and coffee makers
Disinfect and clean surfaces of the prep area
Clean and disinfect soda guns and dispenser heads
Clean and disinfect sinks
Wash towels, rags, uniforms, and aprons in the washing machine
Disinfect and clean trash cans and waste disposal units
Clean floors
