In our current world, outside dining cleaning has never been more important for businesses. If you are offering food service, you may be required to close your indoor spaces entirely and rely only on outdoor dining. You also have to expand or modify your current outdoor space to accommodate social distancing requirements.
Because of the importance of successful outdoor dining, you really need to make sure your outdoor space is in excellent condition and is regularly cleaned and sanitized.
Of course, you and your staff are staying on top of sanitizing tabletops and high-touch surfaces, but what about the regular maintenance and cleaning required in your outdoor space?
Here are four of the top reasons you should keep your entire outdoor space thoroughly clean, plus all the areas to make sure you have on your checklist.
First impressions are everything
When customers approach your business, the first thing they see is your outdoor space. If your outdoor dining area is near your entrance, it is immediately making an impression and guiding their decisions to enter. Particularly in our current health crisis, people are on the alert for evidence that the spaces they are entering are clean and healthy.
Any mess, even a small one, can lead customers to believe it’s too risky for them to dine there. Taking care of all the cleaning details in your space will help create a beautiful environment that draws people in.
Health and safety
In order to comply with current public health mandates, you are already doing more sanitizing than you may be used to. The CDC recommends a regular schedule for cleaning all your outdoor dining spaces.
But it’s not just COVID you need to worry about. Aside from the pandemic, accumulated dirt and debris can pose their own health risk. Many patrons are allergic to dust, mold, and mildew. Even outside these can cause breathing problems and allergic reactions. Many of your less frequently cleaned outdoor items can collect dust and grow mold.
Patios that are dirty can have algae, mold, and mildew on them, which can be dangerously slippery when wet. You definitely don’t need any falls!
Customer retention
We all know a good experience at your establishment brings people back as return customers. This applies to cleanliness as much as food quality and staff friendliness.
While sitting, customers have time to look closely and will notice little details – algae on the wall, dirt collected in the corner.
You want to make sure that everywhere the eye can see, the items are spotless and in great condition. It’s all too easy to see a dirty outdoor space and assume the kitchen is also a mess – even though we know that isn’t true!
Save money over time
Cleaning is part of the regular maintenance needed to keep your items in better condition, which means they will last longer.
By regularly cleaning your furniture and umbrellas, for example, there is less wear on them from dirt and debris. Dirt can wear holes into fabric and etch plastic. This also applies to lesser thought of spots like the gutters and roof, which can break when dirt piles up. Avoid costly repairs down the road by keeping them clean now.
It's all in the details
As you think about what needs to be cleaned, some spots are obvious. After each guest, your staff is cleaning the table top, wiping down the chairs, and sweeping the floor. But there are other areas that are easy to miss. Other spots don’t need to be cleaned daily, so they are easy to forget.
- Furniture: You’re already cleaning surfaces, but make sure you have a schedule for deeper cleaning of the undersides of chairs and tables.
- Concrete/brick: The material on the ground and any partial walls you have bordering your space needs to be cleaned often to avoid the accumulation of dirt and mold growth.
- Planters: Check for cracks and keep them dusted.
- Umbrellas: These need a thorough cleaning on occasion to stay in good working order. When they are open often, umbrella tops can collect dirt and grow algae.
- Outdoor fans: Keep these well cleaned so they are not flinging dust and dirt around as they spin!
- Tent walls, plexiglass, etc.: Did you add barriers to stop the spread of germs or to keep your customers warm? Make sure you are also keeping them clean! Tent or canopy side walls are easy to forget, but it will make a huge difference to keep them sparkling clean.
- Gutters and drains: Clean these out often to avoid standing water or surprise leaks.
Don’t forget your building! The walls, windows, and roof of your building need to be cleaned to keep pollen, dirt, and algae away. This is particularly important when guests are sitting outside and can see outer walls they might not typically pay attention to.
Clean outdoor dining spaces are more important than ever
When you’re running a restaurant, it can be challenging to keep up with routine and deep cleaning in normal times. Now, with the enhanced cleaning and sanitizing demands COVID requires, the stakes are higher and the workload is heavier.
Happy Dining!
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