From inflation and shrinking incomes to economic instability, Americans are dining out less these days, and they expect to spend less on restaurants this summer, according to a report from KPMG. This means they’ll be more selective about where they do choose to dine out, driving up competition among restaurants.
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One of the key drivers in their decision is a restaurant’s cleanliness, which they view as an indicator of the establishment’s overall quality. In fact, a clean environment can significantly impact their overall satisfaction and chances of becoming a repeat customer.
That means that for restaurants trying to stand out, a well-maintained property is critical. It’s also essential to your bottom line. The following 12 services can help restaurants maintain a safe, clean and functional space that ensures brand quality, minimizes unexpected costs and streamlines operations.
Regular grease-trap cleaning is essential for restaurant maintenance. It not only helps extend the life of your equipment and prevent costly emergency repairs, but also protects your business from shutdowns and lost revenue. Poorly maintained grease traps can create unpleasant odors and attract pests like small flies—issues that can quickly damage your reputation and drive customers away.
The same is true for beverage lines, which can attract pests due to sugar buildup. Cleaning frequency depends on your restaurant’s volume. Some locations may need monthly service, while others can go six months between cleanings.
While restaurant equipment maintenance like grease-trap cleaning does help prevent pests, the most effective strategy is a pest control preventive maintenance program, including monthly (or more frequently if needed) visits by your pest control partner to check for potential issues and provide exclusion services to identify any potential points of egress for pests and address any issues.
Because hood systems are designed to capture the air produced during cooking and replace it with clean air (free of unpleasant smells that can repel your customers), hoods should be inspected, cleaned and polished at least twice per year.
Selective diners notice the little things—and those details can affect their spending decisions.. For example, unsightly grout in your tile can be a visual turnoff and cause off-putting odors in addition to being a pest hazard that can impact the customer experience. Have issues with small flies? Your restaurant maintenance services partner can help with grout and tile repairs.
First impressions last. And if your parking lot and/or drive-thru is littered with food and debris, you’re more likely to lose customers before they even reach your front door. Consider adding monthly (or biannual, depending on your traffic patterns) power washing to your restaurant maintenance services to-do list to resolve unsightly dirt, grime, gum, scuff marks and more.
Clean parking lots are just one aspect of exterior restaurant maintenance services. Don’t forget the importance of well-maintained landscaping for attracting customers and regular snow removal during the winter to keep your customers and employees safe and your locations up and running.
Virtually nothing can drive customers away faster than a plumbing issue. Your restaurant maintenance services partner should be experienced in replacing equipment and repairing leaks as well as managing clogs, cleaning sewer and drainage systems and servicing water heaters. They can also swap out traditional water heaters for tankless ones for increased energy efficiency/lower costs.
Backflow testing and maintenance not only keeps your plumbing in top shape—it also protects your clean water supply from contamination. By preventing untreated water from being siphoned back into your system, it helps your restaurant stay compliant with health codes and avoid costly shutdowns.
Keeping a properly-lit and inviting space for your customers is just one more way to keep them coming back. Whether you need help with projects like LED retrofitting or you’re doing a remodel/refresh, a restaurant maintenance services partner can help with internal and external lighting repairs and installations.
Adding new products or kitchen equipment (like new coffee or smoothie machines, for example) can drive satisfaction among repeat customers and attract new ones. Your restaurant maintenance services partner can help with these rollouts by providing the infrastructure for an equipment change-out (like electrical upgrades and plumbing reconfigurations) and standardizing the process across multiple locations as needed.
Speedy, reliable WiFi service can be as important as your menu in attracting busy customers on the go—especially during the workday. Do your restaurants need a WiFi upgrade? Your restaurant maintenance services partner can help by installing bases and running cabling for installations.
Competing for restaurant customers is more critical than ever, and that means reimaging programs are no longer optional. Whether your restaurants are due for a complete remodel or you’re aiming to make specific upgrades that deliver impact for your customers, your restaurant maintenance services partner can assist with reimaging projects that include parking lots, painting, fixture upgrades, and light construction and remodeling.
Maintaining a focus on the restaurant maintenance services that are readily apparent to your customers as well as the ones that need to be performed behind the scenes to keep your locations running is key to winning over selective customers who’ll stick with you even when economic conditions get rocky.
If you’re looking for a restaurant maintenance services partner who can help your locations stand out, contact Chain Store Maintenance – an MCS company, at CSMsales@ChainStore.com. We can partner with you to manage your critical maintenance programs so you can focus on satisfying your customers.