Most people will not have to deal with Florida's tropical storms or Michigan's heavy snows, but no matter where you are, you'll have bad weather that causes customers to track dirt into your restaurant. Dealing with food spillage is the biggest problem with restaurant kitchen floors, but in the front of the house, it's the customers themselves who create most of the dirt. Unless you want to spend a good portion of your day cleaning floors, the smartest thing to do is to prevent as much being tracked in as possible. You may not be able to control the weather, but you do have some control over how much the effects of the weather impact your business.
Floor Mats
Every restaurant should have floor mats in front of the door. Don't skimp on quality, as they will trap most of the dirt and water you're trying to avoid. Choose thick mats that cover the entire restaurant entrance, and use two mats if one doesn't cover the entire area. A good quality commercial floor mat will trap dirt and dust from dry shoes, mud and water on stormy days, and snow, salt, and ice crystals during northern winters. Keep at least two or three sets of mats and switch them out nightly, more often if one gets soaked or covered in mud. Hang wet mats overnight to dry, and clean dirty ones on a daily basis. Or, consider renting from a company that will swap them out regularly.
Cleaning Floors Frequently
A nightly cleaning might be enough for the front of the house during good weather, but on days when customers are likely to track something in, it makes sense to increase your cleaning schedule. Pull up the mats and shake them outdoors, trade them out for clean or dry versions if they can't be used, and clean the floor underneath and around the area before replacing the mats. This will clean up anything the mats missed, keeping it from spreading to the rest of the floor.
Floor Cleaning Methods
Traditionally, restaurant owners cleaned their floors with a mop and bucket, which mostly just pushes the dirty water around on the floor surface and never picks up all the soil and water on the floor. The OmniFlex Dispense-and-Vac for Food Service has improved on that method, with a system that includes always-fresh cleaning solution, heavy-duty scrubbing brushes, and a vacuum removal system that takes care of all residual dirt as well as the water that can become a safety hazard and hold soil on the floor tiles. Instead of spreading around mop water and propping up Wet Floor signs, you'll have a clean and dry surface for your customers to walk on safely.
To learn more about cleaning restaurant flooring, click here.