Did you know that mentions of unpleasant odors in negative restaurant reviews can lead to a 27% decrease in return visits? Customers do not notice the decor or the menu when they first walk into your restaurant.
The first thing they will see is the smell. Perhaps it is an unpleasant, stale cooking smell, or worse, the smell of sewage, that will force them to abandon ship.
A clean restaurant is the basis for a good dining experience. Therefore, tackling these smells is an important component in restaurant business.
This is how you can implement a cleaning method to control and eliminate unwanted odors in your restaurant.
Let’s find out more about it.
Cooking Smell from the Restaurant
At a restaurant, you want the smell of sizzling garlic, freshly baked bread, and fragrant sauces to be welcoming and part of the experience.
On the other hand, an overwhelming, lingering cooking smell could suggest poor ventilation, and physically, it will likely leave a greasy film on your surfaces, not only a turn-off for customers, but also a hospitable environment for bacteria.
Control Cooking Odor
The first thing you must do to control cooking odors is to have a solid exhaust system. Your range hood and exhaust fans are your best friends in this area. They exhaust smoke, steam, and air that is laden with grease that settles around your kitchen space. The problem is that these systems only work well if they are clean.
Clean Filters and Ducts
If grease builds up in the filters and ducts, it will limit the air movement of the entire system, making it run ineffectively and potentially contributing odors to your atmosphere. Cleaning these features regularly is going to be required, and for the vast number of restaurants, this includes cleaning hood filters nightly and a complete professional clean of the entire ventilation system every few months.
Regular Floor Cleaning
Another important area is the flooring of the kitchen. Food and grease can spill and get absorbed in the grout lines, or even become stagnant in floor drains. These materials can produce stale odors.
Degreasing
Daily mopping with a degreasing cleaner and regular scrubbing of the grout can keep this from happening. Keeping your fryers and oil fresh and clean is also important to prevent that stale, rancid oil smell from suffocating your air.
How to Get Rid of Sewer Smells in a Restaurant?
A sewer smell is a very significant warning sign. It is not just a bad smell; it may mean there is an obvious health and sanitation issue regarding cleanliness in the restaurant. If a customer ever tells you the restaurant smells like sewage, then you need to do something right away.
The most common cause of this odor is from the floor drains. During service in a busy kitchen, small amounts of food, greasy gunk, and all manner of debris go down the drains.
Over time, this debris, including food products, will decay and produce an awful sewer gas. This gas can escape if the P-trap (the bent pipe under the drain) has dried out or if the drain is obstructed.
Regular Cleaning
The best way to deal with this is to regularly clean your drains. Almost every night, pour hot water along with a heavy-duty specialty cleaner down your floor drains.
Like the cleaning products you use in your restaurant, these specialty cleaners contain good germs and enzymes.
It will break down the smelly nasties, not just cover them up, that cause terrible odors. If, for whatever reason, a floor drain is severely blocked, a licensed plumber with the appropriate equipment should be contacted to remove the blockage.
How to Fix The Restaurant Smells Like Sewage?
When an odor is constant and widespread, it’s more than a simple clog – you will want to find the source of the problem. This will take a systematic approach to how to fix a restaurant that smells like sewage.
Start by checking all drains, including the drains underneath sinks, mop sinks, and customer restrooms. One common reason an odor can occur is due to a dry P-trap – an easy fix is pouring a gallon of water down the drain to create a seal that blocks sewer gases from rising.
After looking at your drains, check for leaks and cracks in pipes. A small leak in a pipe nestled behind a wall can lead to mold and sewer smells. A cleaning crew may not be able to fix a plumbing leak, but they can see the signs if it is leaking and see dampness or odor coming from a specific wall.
Cleaning the Grease Trap
Grease traps are another item you need to consider. A grease trap is a box that is designed to catch fats, oils, and grease prior to entering the sewer main. The odor can become unbearable when the grease trap is neglected and not pumped and cleaned regularly.
Most cities and towns require restaurants to clean their grease traps on a regular basis. It is best to contact a grease trap cleaning company to take care of this for you. Keeping the trap clean will go a long way toward preventing sewer odors in your restaurant.
A Clean Smell Brings Customers Back
You need to practice a solid cleaning plan and addressing sticky points in your cleaning routine. You can ensure your restaurant has an uplifting and pleasant fragrance in which to welcome guests, allowing them to become comfortable and want to stay longer or return for another visit.
Remember that providing a safe and clean restaurant is more than simply aesthetics. It is also about providing a pleasant experience through all senses.
Take Away
Keeping your restaurant smelling fresh and clean is very important. It goes beyond a quick clean; it is part of your business brand integrity and makes customers feel good about being in your establishment.
By knowing what inhibits good smells, e.g., bad cooking smells from restaurants, or indeed sewer smells, you can leverage effective cleaning protocols. This isn’t just a good idea; it is a necessary obligation. You have to be sure you are regularly cleaning your air exchange vents, cleaning your drains and floors, and getting a company to come in to strengthen the grease trap cleaning protocols regularly.
Once you have done the cleaning of bad smells, you are, in fact, also addressing other factors. Such as creating an environment where customers feel welcomed. Creating a positive experience will leave your customers wanting more and coming back for more.
