Anyone who has sat through marathons of shows like Kitchen Nightmares and Restaurant: Impossible is fully versed on all the disgusting things possibly lurking under dining room booths and every other nook and cranny. One food service expert says too many restaurant operators ignore the mop and bucket to the detriment of their businesses.

In a piece for QSRweb.com, Ed Zimmerman of The Food Connector explains that because customers are growing more aware of food safety issues, unclean dining rooms and/or restrooms are hurting restaurants even more than they had in the past.

“Clean bathrooms might be the most important marketing job in your restaurant,” he writes. “Consumers consistently site dirty bathrooms as the primary reason for not returning to restaurants.”

He suggests not merely having a checklist for the standard day-to-day cleaning, but also going through every aspect of the operation — making sure it’s not just clean, but also in a good, presentable condition.

“You will be amazed at all the little items you have not seen because of your big picture focus,” he writes.

Zimmerman concludes:

Great food paired with great service is not always enough to win great restaurant reviews. You must offer those items in a clean, safe environment where consumers feel comfortable. In these days of consumer safety and YELP, you cannot afford to be less than clean.

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