Article
Making your QSR bathroom shine
Spending a bit more for touchless systems can pay off in customer satisfaction.
August 18, 2008
For many quick-service restaurant operators, bathrooms are an afterthought. But for customers, bathrooms may be a critical component in judging whether they'll return to the establishment.
Operators who don't invest in maintaining clean, hygienic bathrooms are missing out on a big opportunity to win and keep those customers, said Ian West, category director for washhroom business with Neenah, Wis.-based SCA Tissue North America
"You are providing a total experience to your customer, from the time they walk in to the time they walk out they are looking around and making judgments on your facility," West said.
A study by the American Society of Microbiology found that many customers, particularly women, viewed unsanitary washrooms as conveying a lack of respect, West said.
"Many of them went further than that and said ‘If you failed to meet my washroom expectations, I'm going to make a decision about whether I come back here or not,'" West said. "Your washrooms are a part of what makes your operation, and if you don't have it right, it is detrimental to the value of your business."
Touchless is the trend
People's awareness of contamination issues has risen considerably over the last few years, West said, and in this case, ignorance is far from bliss. Customers are looking to minimize or eliminate their contact with any potential germ-bearing surfaces as they move through a bathroom. That's where touchless comes in.
"The big push with towel dispensers is on touchless systems," he said. "There are two versions, and electronic version and a manual version. They both allow people to obtain a hand towel without having to wind a crank or pull a lever that people have touched over and over again."
By eliminating potential sources of germs, touchless dispensers can help reduce their spread. Other touchless innovations involve automatic toilets and water faucets at the restroom sink.
"With these systems, restrooms visitors are not required to touch handles, levers or buttons to flush toilets, turn on water, or dispense washroom tissue and towel products," said Sean Nichols, bathroom and facial tissue category manager for Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark. "Some public restrooms continue the no-touch theme by using doorless entryways so that freshly washed hands don't have to grab a dirty door handle on the way out of the restroom."
West doesn't particularly care for air hand-dryers in washrooms. In fact, he said, studies have shown that air dryers can increase the amount of bacteria on a person's hands.
"It takes one piece out of the process which in all studies has proven to be critical, which is the physical drying of the hands," he said. "You don't get that rubbing abrasion when you use air dryers."
Hand dryers operate by taking air from an environment that may not be particularly sanitary and blowing it across a person's hands. And with most dryers, people walk away from them with their hands still damp.
"How many people have you seen who walk away from these things and wipe their hands on their pants?" West said. "There is nothing worse than damp hands as a way to spread contamination."
According to a study commissioned by Mason, Ohio-based Cintas Corp., many of the top considerations for customers related to how well the restrooms were stocked with supplies. For example, more than 84 percent of respondents equated empty toilet paper dispensers with restroom dissatisfaction, and more than 76 percent of respondents were dissatisfied if the soap dispensers are empty.
"By implementing a complete restroom program, operators can improve customer loyalty," said Brian Garry, director-segment marketing, Cintas.
And sometimes the most critical steps are the easiest.
Reaping the benefits
Considering the amount of money restaurant operators invest in opening a restaurant, it only makes sense to pay special attention to washroom design.
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"In reality, it is a fairly small investment for a very large return," he said. "Instead of looking at is as something you have to pay to maintain or have checked every hour, look at it as a chance to tell this customer that your facility really cares about them."
And with environmental concerns becoming top-of-mind for consumers, washrooms present another way to make a statement about your operation
"If that is a part of your positioning, the washroom is another area for you to walk the talk," he said. "There are a lot of paper products in a washroom, and it is a great opportunity for you to demonstrate environmental awareness to your customer."
