Blog

It's almost summer: Is your restaurant set for the big stink?

Summer is just around the corner and so are the odors inherent when warmer weather and food mix at your restaurant. Here are six tips from the maintenance experts at Cintas to keep down the stink this summer.

June 2, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Summer is a great time for dining everywhere — from a quick pick-up at the drive-through to a feast on an outdoor dining patio. But one factor can put a damper on guests’ experiences that many restaurateurs find.

We speak, of course, of some of those nasty odors that are inherent in the food service industry. The odor of slightly over-heated food scraps sweltering in everything from outdoor garbage cans and dishcloth piles to the restaurant dumpster or kitchen drains can repel diners in droves, no matter how delectable your food is.

As uniform and restaurant supply company, Cintas Senior Marketing Manager John Engel puts it, "Customer satisfaction is strongly linked to perception of cleanliness. Facility owners can improve positive guest experiences by implementing cleaning programs and techniques that prevent and reduce odors, even during hot summer months."

To assist restaurateurs in that ongoing endeavor, Cintas sent some helpful pointers, which we've included in the following list, separated by areas of the restaurant:

• Kitchens
  Food, fat and grease can collect in kitchen drain lines, and the result is rancid bacteria. Consider using drain line maintainers and regularly inspecting drains to prevent this problem,  as well as even costlier plumbing issues. And don’t forget that used restaurant towels, aprons, uniforms and other fabric-based items can collect all kinds of liquid and semi-solid materials and also wreak over a relatively short time. Make sure your storage for dirty linens is not a source for this problem and consider the time and frequency of your laundry service pick-up.
• Restrooms
  Clogged drains brimming with bacteria buildup will not only turn customers away, but many patrons will not hesitate to tell the social media world about any such concerns on the spot. Consider launching your own technology to help stay on top of these types of concerns by making an online feature available to solicit feedback on the state of your restaurant restrooms. Keep a maintenance schedule posted, and enforce it and also consider using air fresheners, urinal screens and restroom mats to control the problem.
• Carpeted areas
  The high humidity inherent in many geographical locations in the summer can be a perfect environmental condition to turn your carpeting into a mildew, allergen-producing, stinky nightmare. Consider scheduling regular carpet cleaning as part of your summer maintenance plans.
• Mat-covered areas
  You need them for safety, but matting can trap all kinds of dirt and liquids that breed even more mildew and bacteria along with their inherent odors. Consider this when scheduling the frequency of pick-ups for cleaning and replacement.
• Air conditioning units
  These accumulate dirt, mold and bacteria and can easily become a noxious odor source. Remember to put coil and filter cleaning on your regular maintenance schedule during the months when your AC is working OT.
• Supply areas
  Reusable string mops can be odor generators, too, so adjust your mophead and dish towel cleaning frequency for whatever kind of tools you’re using. Cintas recommended microfiber tools for this type of cleaning.
   

About S.A. Whitehead

---

Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.