Unsanitary Restrooms May Be a Deal Breaker for Bar and Restaurant Patrons

Unsanitary Restrooms May Be a Deal Breaker for Bar and Restaurant Patrons. New research confirms and underscores the negative impact that dirty restrooms can have on a restaurant’s revenue and reputation. There is a direct correlation to perceived food-sa…

Research Confirms Dirty Restrooms Have Negative Impact on Bars and Restaurants

New research confirms and underscores the negative impact that dirty restrooms can have on a restaurant’s revenue and reputation. There is a direct correlation to perceived food-safety and poor hand-washing practices by restaurant and bar patrons that felt the restrooms were unsanitary.

Opinion Research Corp. Recently Surveyed 1,005 U.S. Adults

On behalf of Clorox Professional Products Company, Opinion Research Corp. recently surveyed 1,005 U.S. adults and the results are ominous (and to us, obvious). The survey found 69 percent of respondents refuse to patronize bars and restaurants with unclean restrooms and 39 percent said they have immediately left a restaurant or similar business because the restroom smelled like urine.

The Study Also Looked at Potential Loss of Revenue Caused By Unclean Restrooms

• Two-thirds of survey respondents said they would refuse to patronize establishments like restaurants or hotels that have unclean restrooms
• Fifty-five percent said they would give a negative review to a business based on (perceived) unsanitary restroom conditions

Harvard Business School Study

A Harvard Business School Study Found Yelp Business Reviews Can Have a 5-9 Percent Effect on a Business’ Revenues, and Just Three Bad Reviews Can Lead to Lower Profitability

Even if the rest of a patron’s dining experience was positive, a negative restroom experience at your restaurant will likely affect your online reputation and your bottom line.

More Than 80 Percent of Consumers Will Avoid a Bar or Restaurant with Dirty Restrooms

Commercial fixture company, Bradley Corp. paints a similar picture. They state that more than 80 percent of consumers will avoid a restaurant with dirty restrooms. Customers’ biggest complaints are urine smells and dirty floors.

Top Five Commercial Restroom Surfaces For Bacteria Buildup

Bradley also reports that the top five surfaces for bacteria buildup (in order) are:
Restroom partitions
Restroom doors
Soap dispensers
Toilet seats
Toilet flush handles

Isn’t It Ironic?

Bradley Also Notes:

40 percent of U.S. adults and 53 percent of Canadian adults occasionally skip using soap when washing their hands

25 percent of both groups surveyed, don’t wash their hands after coughing and sneezing

Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business Research Study

A research study by Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business found that only five percent of people wash their hands long enough to kill infection causing germs. More than 33 percent of people don’t use soap and 10 percent do not wash their hands at all!

Imagine patrons of your establishment contract a food-borne illness because people didn’t wash their hands. The sad thing is, through no fault of your own, a well publicized report of food-borne illness could seriously damage your business reputation and possibly put you out of business!

Other Findings

People were less likely to wash their hands if the sink was dirty.

Hand washing was more prevalent earlier in the day.