We all know the saying that the first taste is with the eyes. What we often forget is that our customers’ first taste is the appearance of the restaurant building, then the food. Winter is the season of snow, slush, and road salt. All of that mess collects quickly on your hard surface floors during peak mealtimes, and will drive out your post-rush customers just as fast unless you can clean it up immediately. Fortunately, the floors in your Bucktown, Chicago, IL restaurant can be well-maintained all winter long with a little teamwork between your staff and the commercial hard surface floor cleaning experts at ServiceMaster Cleaning By Simons.
Entryways are a special challenge because of the high traffic levels these hard surface floors experience all day. More foot traffic is great for sales because it means more customers. Unfortunately, it also means increased wear on this section of your flooring. In the winter, that wear includes scuffing from shoes and boots, scratching from sand and salt applied to your parking lot and sidewalk, and the wintry mix of dirt, snow, and slush that collects on your customers’ feet as they make their way inside.
Walk-off mats are your best defense against erosion in entryways, but they are not the only step you’ll need to take to keep your entryways clean. Sweep dirt and debris from the walk-off mats at least daily, or more often as needed. Roll up your walk-off mats daily so you can mop underneath. We also recommend that you have your walk-off mats professionally cleaned on a regular basis. After all, they contribute to the appearance of your restaurant just as much as the hard surface floors underneath.
Your restaurant lobby also sees the messy impacts of winter weather. Your walk-off mats certainly reduce the amount of debris that gets inside, but they aren’t able to catch it all. A quick look around after a rush will reveal white salt stains and light muddy brown splotches of slush that have dried while your customers enjoyed their meals. Not such an appetizing sight for the guests that arrive after them. Make sure your hard surface floor cleaning routine is thorough so you can catch these wintry stains. As you sweep and mop, make sure to move tables and chairs. This allows you to catch any fallen food and garbage as well as to clean whatever winter mess has traveled farther inside.
Mopping and utilizing walk-off mats are great first steps to protect your hard surface floors and keep them looking wonderful. For optimum hard surface floor protection and maintenance, these techniques must be combined with the help of commercial hard surface floor cleaning professionals in order for you to get the most from your hard surface floors. Regular commercial cleaning will extend the life of your flooring, saving you the expense of replacing it sooner than needed. At ServiceMaster Cleaning By Simons, we work closely with restaurant owners and managers to create a regular cleaning schedule that fits their specific needs.
A well-maintained hard surface floor doesn’t just look nice -clean floors also create a healthier, germ-free environment for your restaurant’s guests. ServiceMaster Cleaning By Simons provides commercial hard surface floor cleaning services to help ensure your Bucktown, Chicago, IL restaurant looks appetizing from the floor up all winter long. We use the most current test-proven methods to clean your hardwood, ceramic, tile, vinyl, or marble floors.