· Create a cleaning checklist. This should be used as a guide for staff and cleaning workers, detailing what tasks must be performed each visit.
· Cleaning starts at the front door. Scan the shop’s exterior, checking if outdoor seating areas need cleaning, if trash and debris need to be removed, and if there are any landscaping issues that should be brought to the manager’s attention.
· Clean the prep area first. As with a restaurant kitchen, this will be very soiled. Cleaning it first prevents debris from landing on a just-cleaned floor.
· The stainless steel must be sparkling clean. “Sparkling clean” stainless translates into safe and healthy to your customers.
· Cleaning espresso machines is not your job. The coffee shop staff are tasked with cleaning the espresso machine parts, brewers, blenders, and other equipment. Your job is to clean the exterior of these machines.
· Wipe clean the condiment section. View this as the “mess magnet” of a coffee shop. Everyone uses it. It needs to be detail-cleaned and restocked each visit.
· Use environmentally friendly cleaners and sanitizers. Citric-acid-based sanitizers are often used in the food service industry because they are made of FDA approved ingredients and because they can reduce pathogen numbers to safe levels without the need for more powerful (and often more costly) disinfectants.
· Floors can make or break a coffee shop. Upon closing, the coffee shop staff usually cleans tabletops and places chairs on top of them. Consider vacuuming the floor instead of sweeping. It’s more detailed and prevents dust from becoming airborne. Then mop with an environmentally friendly cleaning solution.
· Most coffee shops require their staff to clean restrooms throughout the day. However, your job is to take this cleaning to the next level. Check walls, high touch areas, make sure metal areas are sparkling clean, check the vents and make sure those are clean. Very often coffee shops do not have windows in their restrooms. Clean vents help keep restrooms odor free.
Hannah Jonasse, marketing director for ProNatural Brands, LLC
