November 18, 2013
Take Restrooms from Good to Great
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of an article from Convenience Store Decisions magazine.
A new national survey revealed that 63 percent of Americans have had a particularly unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to the condition of the facilities. That’s particularly bad news for c-stores and other retailers looking to grow foodservice sales.
The top restroom complaints: really bad smell (82 percent); clogged or unflushed toilets (79 percent); and an overall appearance that’s dirty, unkempt or old (73 percent). To avoid contact with germs, 64 percent will operate the toilet flusher with their foot, 60 percent will use paper towel when touching the restroom door, and 48 percent will open and close doors with their hip.
The survey, commissioned by Bradley Corp., a manufacturer of bathroom furnishings, found 64 percent of Americans say they’ll either think twice about patronizing the business or will never frequent it again.
That’s why top quartile chains like Thorntons have designed restrooms that feature bright lighting, floor to ceiling tiles and hands-free XLERATOR air dryers that are motion activated. In furnishings, Thorntons looks for equipment that is durable and easy for its team members to clean, which helps ensure they are more likely to stay clean.
Buc-ee’s superstore location in New Braunfels, TX, was named the winner of Cintas’ 11th annual America’s Best Restroom. In a follow-up whitepaper titled Becoming America’s Best Restroom, Cintas provided tips on how businesses can utilize a multi-level approach to taking their restrooms from passable to exceptional:
Define Clean for Your Core Customers. Mothers want cleanliness and baby changing areas, while a younger demographic might be more apt to notice the amenities and remember if the soap dispensers were low or the toilet paper was missing.
Develop a Checklist. A cleaning schedule and an employee checklist is key.
Use Products That Perform. Air fresheners, auto flushes and urinal screens can help maintain cleanliness and keep restrooms smelling clean. Mops, wipes and chemical dispensing systems should always be on hand.
Partner for Success. A facility services provider is an option for those facing challenges. In-house employees typically perform daily maintenance while service providers ensure that restrooms are constantly stocked and regularly deep cleaned.
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
What are some of your biggest pet peeves about retailer rest rooms? What steps should stores take to keep their restrooms clean?
Poll
Foodservice destinations can’t be taken seriously if their restrooms are sub-par.
That said, companies seem to have stepped up their restroom facilities, with Dyson hand-dryers, nicer soaps, and more-frequent-than-usual maintenance. C-stores, women are watching!
C-store restrooms; I am a pro. Why? Being an avid motorcycle rider dedicated to retail, I always evaluate where I stop on a ride. I average about 4 c-store stops per weekend – about 90 c-store stops per year (low riding year). Peeves are easy – clean them up. Always have paper or something to dry hands. Good soap.
As a rider, I avoid some stores or stops that have lousy restrooms. This means that I took my sale elsewhere. Most guys/girls like to buy food and beverages at c-stores.
Make more money and gain more customers – clean the can.
Tom…BMW R1200 GS Rider….
Most retailers, from food service to c-store to general retail, treat restroom facilities as though it’s a service they are obligated to provide, with very little focus placed on cleanliness and amenities.
With these survey results indicating nearly two-thirds of consumers will seriously think twice about, or simply not return to a business where they’ve had a negative restroom experience, restroom facilities should be viewed as one of the most important customer touch points, and managed/maintained with a focus on creating highly positive experiences.
Restroom cleanliness and amenities significantly shape consumer perception regarding the store or restaurant as a whole.
Buc-ee’s rules and everyone in Texas knows it! Being from Texas, I’m lucky to be able to frequent them often traveling around the state.
Buc-ee’s convenience stores are about the size of a small Walmart and the entire store is spotless, not just the restrooms. The employees are friendly and helpful too.
Every time I visit one I marvel at the consistency of the experience across the whole chain, and wonder how they do it. These stores are packed with people around the clock and I’ve yet to see anything out of stock or in disarray.
If you’re in the business, studying them would be a great idea.
C-store operations are probably the most obvious when it comes to restroom cleanliness or lack their hiring practices and training. In many cases the stores are more concerned with the front of house where the profits are. If we go back to the basics of training and begin to inspect what we expect we might begin to see a marked improvement in the cleanliness of the restrooms.
Food establishments are the ones most concerned with the cleanliness of their restrooms and make it a practice to inspect them regularly.
The first thing any retailer should do before developing a clean restroom initiative is take a trip to Japan. Try finding a restroom that is not clean. Observe all the devices and procedures that are used to keep bathrooms clean and fresh smelling. Upon returning to the States list out every characteristic that defines a clean and welcoming restroom. Determine what is required to keep the restroom in that condition 100% of the time.
Standards for an acceptable restroom (in the US) are so low that I doubt most retailers would know how to correctly define the components of a “clean restroom.” Here’s a starter list: floors, the bowl, the toilet seat, the handle/flushing device, the availability of toilet paper, soap, soap dispenser, hand dryer/paper, the walls, sink, faucets, the mirror, the door, door handle, scent, etc.
We all know what the pet peeves are and what needs to be done. Buc-ee’s is truly a sight to behold. You can’t visit one without seeing a guy in the men’s room, in awe, counting the urinals. About 15 years ago I was working on a major retail acquisition. Short on time, we had to inspect every store. To save time we only looked at the men’s room. Whatever condition the men’s room was in, that was the condition grade we gave the entire store. We were later complimented on our accuracy so I guess that method works.
“might be more apt to notice the amenities and remember if the soap dispensers were low or the toilet paper was missing.”
Really???
Isn’t EVERYONE likely to notice if the toilet paper is missing??? Good grief people. Do we really need research studies to tell us to keep toilet paper in the bathroom???
We’re doomed.
While all of these new-fangled architectural designs and technological advancements are instrumental in keeping restrooms cleaner, the key still lies with the front line employees who are relied on to perform routine maintenance.
No one derives any great pleasure out of cleaning the latrine. That makes it all the more essential to spell out that this is a necessary part of the job prior to hiring anyone who’s job will include this unenviable chore. The quickest way to disengage an employee is to hire them for a cashier or sales position, then during their training period, casually throw in, “oh, and here’s how to clean the restrooms.”
For optimum results:
- Rotate this chore so all employees take a turn; even managers.
- Reward those who do the best job. Give a weekly “‘spotless clean-up” award to the best cleaner offering them an ‘opt out’ privilege for the upcoming week.
- Better to do frequent clean ups (ever hour or two) than one clean up at the end of the day. (Who would ever want to work the closing shift knowing that they were responsible for cleaning the entire day’s mess?)
Coincidentally had a conversation with an elderly woman in a department store in a largish shopping town in England on Saturday. Her concern was the rapid disappearance of restrooms appropriate for disabled people. Is that another issue that needs improving in American stores?
This issue is simple blocking and tackling in retailing. If retailers can’t accomplish it, they might consider keeping their doors shut and lights turned off.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to matter to most. It does make one wonder how the leaders and associates care for themselves at home.
The steps mentioned, while nice things to say, lend little to the reality at retail. I’ve seen checklist after checklist signed and dated in every filthy restroom I’ve been in at any type of retailer from grocery, to fast food, to food service.
“Define Clean”? Really? Folks, clean is clean! Isn’t it? Sadly, apparently not!
I used to utilize the largest fast food company as a “Rest Area” stop while traveling. That stopped when they became the worst at keeping their restrooms clean. That changed to the most widely known coffee shop. Even they have misses but are they most consistent I’ve seen.
Restrooms say a lot about the retailer and the brand. Retailers that can’t execute in this simple area likely can’t execute on much else.
This is as basic as turning on the lights. If it isn’t, consider another field of endeavor and if you do, maybe it will be coming up with a paper towel dispenser that actually works!
Customers correlate the cleanliness of a restroom and the sanitation of the foodservice area. Bad bathroom = bad food. In a non-food environment I correlate the cleanliness of the bathroom to the classiness of the store/company/etc.
My pet peeve is that after years of everyone including those of us who wrote on this topic today, we still have the same issues that be discussed for years.
My biggest pet peeve is the level, or lack of, hygiene. I believe it reflects very poorly on a retailer when their bathroom is messy or worse, reeks. What can stores do? Simple things such as hourly cleaning and tidiness, ensuring that supplies are re-stocked, and installing touchless appliances.
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Foodservice destinations can’t be taken seriously if their restrooms are sub-par.
That said, companies seem to have stepped up their restroom facilities, with Dyson hand-dryers, nicer soaps, and more-frequent-than-usual maintenance. C-stores, women are watching!
C-store restrooms; I am a pro. Why? Being an avid motorcycle rider dedicated to retail, I always evaluate where I stop on a ride. I average about 4 c-store stops per weekend – about 90 c-store stops per year (low riding year). Peeves are easy – clean them up. Always have paper or something to dry hands. Good soap.
As a rider, I avoid some stores or stops that have lousy restrooms. This means that I took my sale elsewhere. Most guys/girls like to buy food and beverages at c-stores.
Make more money and gain more customers – clean the can.
Tom…BMW R1200 GS Rider….
Most retailers, from food service to c-store to general retail, treat restroom facilities as though it’s a service they are obligated to provide, with very little focus placed on cleanliness and amenities.
With these survey results indicating nearly two-thirds of consumers will seriously think twice about, or simply not return to a business where they’ve had a negative restroom experience, restroom facilities should be viewed as one of the most important customer touch points, and managed/maintained with a focus on creating highly positive experiences.
Restroom cleanliness and amenities significantly shape consumer perception regarding the store or restaurant as a whole.
Buc-ee’s rules and everyone in Texas knows it! Being from Texas, I’m lucky to be able to frequent them often traveling around the state.
Buc-ee’s convenience stores are about the size of a small Walmart and the entire store is spotless, not just the restrooms. The employees are friendly and helpful too.
Every time I visit one I marvel at the consistency of the experience across the whole chain, and wonder how they do it. These stores are packed with people around the clock and I’ve yet to see anything out of stock or in disarray.
If you’re in the business, studying them would be a great idea.
C-store operations are probably the most obvious when it comes to restroom cleanliness or lack their hiring practices and training. In many cases the stores are more concerned with the front of house where the profits are. If we go back to the basics of training and begin to inspect what we expect we might begin to see a marked improvement in the cleanliness of the restrooms.
Food establishments are the ones most concerned with the cleanliness of their restrooms and make it a practice to inspect them regularly.
The first thing any retailer should do before developing a clean restroom initiative is take a trip to Japan. Try finding a restroom that is not clean. Observe all the devices and procedures that are used to keep bathrooms clean and fresh smelling. Upon returning to the States list out every characteristic that defines a clean and welcoming restroom. Determine what is required to keep the restroom in that condition 100% of the time.
Standards for an acceptable restroom (in the US) are so low that I doubt most retailers would know how to correctly define the components of a “clean restroom.” Here’s a starter list: floors, the bowl, the toilet seat, the handle/flushing device, the availability of toilet paper, soap, soap dispenser, hand dryer/paper, the walls, sink, faucets, the mirror, the door, door handle, scent, etc.
We all know what the pet peeves are and what needs to be done. Buc-ee’s is truly a sight to behold. You can’t visit one without seeing a guy in the men’s room, in awe, counting the urinals. About 15 years ago I was working on a major retail acquisition. Short on time, we had to inspect every store. To save time we only looked at the men’s room. Whatever condition the men’s room was in, that was the condition grade we gave the entire store. We were later complimented on our accuracy so I guess that method works.
“might be more apt to notice the amenities and remember if the soap dispensers were low or the toilet paper was missing.”
Really???
Isn’t EVERYONE likely to notice if the toilet paper is missing??? Good grief people. Do we really need research studies to tell us to keep toilet paper in the bathroom???
We’re doomed.
While all of these new-fangled architectural designs and technological advancements are instrumental in keeping restrooms cleaner, the key still lies with the front line employees who are relied on to perform routine maintenance.
No one derives any great pleasure out of cleaning the latrine. That makes it all the more essential to spell out that this is a necessary part of the job prior to hiring anyone who’s job will include this unenviable chore. The quickest way to disengage an employee is to hire them for a cashier or sales position, then during their training period, casually throw in, “oh, and here’s how to clean the restrooms.”
For optimum results:
Coincidentally had a conversation with an elderly woman in a department store in a largish shopping town in England on Saturday. Her concern was the rapid disappearance of restrooms appropriate for disabled people. Is that another issue that needs improving in American stores?
This issue is simple blocking and tackling in retailing. If retailers can’t accomplish it, they might consider keeping their doors shut and lights turned off.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to matter to most. It does make one wonder how the leaders and associates care for themselves at home.
The steps mentioned, while nice things to say, lend little to the reality at retail. I’ve seen checklist after checklist signed and dated in every filthy restroom I’ve been in at any type of retailer from grocery, to fast food, to food service.
“Define Clean”? Really? Folks, clean is clean! Isn’t it? Sadly, apparently not!
I used to utilize the largest fast food company as a “Rest Area” stop while traveling. That stopped when they became the worst at keeping their restrooms clean. That changed to the most widely known coffee shop. Even they have misses but are they most consistent I’ve seen.
Restrooms say a lot about the retailer and the brand. Retailers that can’t execute in this simple area likely can’t execute on much else.
This is as basic as turning on the lights. If it isn’t, consider another field of endeavor and if you do, maybe it will be coming up with a paper towel dispenser that actually works!
Customers correlate the cleanliness of a restroom and the sanitation of the foodservice area. Bad bathroom = bad food. In a non-food environment I correlate the cleanliness of the bathroom to the classiness of the store/company/etc.
My pet peeve is that after years of everyone including those of us who wrote on this topic today, we still have the same issues that be discussed for years.
My biggest pet peeve is the level, or lack of, hygiene. I believe it reflects very poorly on a retailer when their bathroom is messy or worse, reeks. What can stores do? Simple things such as hourly cleaning and tidiness, ensuring that supplies are re-stocked, and installing touchless appliances.