For those in the hospitality industry, safety, cleanliness and hygiene become more and more important with every passing year. And it’s not just legal and bureaucratic pressure that is driving this phenomenon, but the ever more educated, discerning and connected landscape of patrons and customers. In other words, sub-par establishments like bars and pubs don’t just need to worry about the tightening grip of rule-makers and enforcers, but face the likely reality of fewer ‘bums on bar stools’.
Where, then, should bar owners and operators be looking for the most practical advice to keep up with the most successful rival businesses? The answer: those successful rival businesses themselves. So while we all know about mop buckets and Spray n’Wipe, let’s kick off 2022 with the inside scoop on how the cleanest bars and pubs in Australia do their thing in 3 key areas you’re probably neglecting:
1. Special sanitising equipment/products
We’ve already mentioned your trusty mop bucket – but are you ready for the next level? The most hygienic bars aren’t just clean, they’re organised. That’s why they use systems of hygiene organisation like cleaning bucket colour-coding, to separate different methods and cleaning products from one another and minimise cross-contamination.
Inside those mop buckets may be products including industrial-grade sanitising tablets, especially those dedicated to hospitality for their odour and kind-to-customers’-skin qualities.
2. Your walls & floors
And don’t forget your ceilings! To get every square millimetre of your hygienic premises looking and performing at its best, you’ll need some serious reach. Consider, therefore, impressive extension poles for your brushes, mops and other cleaning implements, so that nowhere can escape the power of your scrubbing, squeegee-ing and dusting.
For your precious windows, enabling enquiring eyes into your top-notch establishment, invest in only the best materials for clean and streak-free perfection, such as chenille microfibre.
3. Your bottle brushes & gloves
If you’re running a bar or pub and your bottle brush set is either sad, worn out or – heaven forbid – completely missing, you’re missing a serious pro trick. For a hospitality business whose bread-and-butter is presenting beverages to a discerning public all too ready with their online review app, there is no excuse for a dirty glass or bottle. Every nook and cranny must be accounted for, which is why ‘a brush for everything’ is a must. Big ones, little ones, sponge ones, hard-bristle ones, long-stem, short-stem, mylon, silicone, bamboo, multi-bristled – the options never end, and neither should your collection of pro bottle brushes.
And while using them, don’t forget about your hands. Do your bottle brushing with thick, tough, non-slip, water-proof gloves that are breathable, solvent-resistant, comfortable and the perfect fit.
Do you have a bar cleaning routine?
To conclude, let’s answer the question we just posed above and cross our fingers and toes the answer is “of course!”. If not, the right time to create a regular bar cleaning routine starts right here, right now:
* Empty, clean, re-organise fridges & storage
* Clean behind equipment
* Clean glassware/liquor bottle shelving
* Sanitise keg lines
* Implement anti-pest policies & processes
* Daily dusting!
Yes, everything you’ve read today is worthwhile and even critical – but you’ve only just got started. And don’t forget, because your unique brand, customers and physical space are yours and yours alone, so too will be your particular routines and equipment for keeping your bar, pub or other hospitality business as clean and safe as the regulators and your happy punters expect and demand. Good luck!