Exposing the Hidden Costs of Unclean Restaurant Exhaust Hoods

DENVER, CO, June 17, 2013 (Press-News.org) Most owners take great pride in keeping their entire restaurant clean. As they should, the areas where your patrons eat, drink and mingle naturally top your cleaning priority list. Most time and attention goes into sweeping the floors and vacuuming the carpet; keeping the booths, seats and tables spotless; and making sure the doors, entryway and lobby are inviting.

Next, chefs and owners alike appreciate a clean and organized kitchen and serving area. A sterile cooking area gives a better presentation, allows for more efficient processes, and keeps the health inspectors off your back.

If it's right in front of you, in plain sight of your patrons, or close to your food, it's usually clean. Most restaurants do a pretty respectable job of achieving cleanliness in these areas.

Yet, in the restaurant industry, the saying "out of sight, out of mind" truly applies. Because behind the shiny and polished surface views, there usually exists a whole new dimension of filth. Hidden areas cleaned only once every few weeks -- or worse, every few months.

Where does this grunge lurk? Behind the ovens. Underneath the refrigerators. Inside the hanging lamps.

But even more important than the general cleaning is the industrial cleaning needed in the restaurant exhaust hood. While neglecting to clean your grill thoroughly can impact your food, neglecting your restaurant hood can impact your entire business.

A quick inspection of your exhaust hood may reveal weeks or even months of grease and grime buildup, smoke and stale odors, dust and dirt, and even spider webs and other critters.

What's worse, it's what you don't see that is the REAL cost to your business. Here are just a few of the hidden costs of NOT cleaning your restaurant hood exhaust system.

Loss of customers, business, revenue

Think about a typical dinner rush and the dozens or even hundreds of dishes cooked. All that smoke and a much of that grease finds its way into your exhaust system. Multiply that times weeks or months, and all that buildup creates odors.

These stale odors of grease, smoke and expired food permeates the kitchen and saturates the front of the house dining. Before long, it's in the walls, the carpet, the tables -- it's in their food. Just one or two negative reviews on Yelp.com that references a "strange smell" is enough to drive people away. And if it gets bad enough, they may never come back.

Never let it get to that stage. Routinely clean your exhaust hood, and the only thing your patrons will get a whiff of is your mouth-watering food.

Violations, fines and even potential closure

Because an unclean hood represents fire and health risks, health departments pay special attention to the cleanliness of your entire commercial exhaust system.

What would a health inspector find upon close examination of your hood system? And could you afford to have any days of closure to make the recommended improvements?

Keep your hood exhaust as clean as the front of house, and you'll welcome health inspectors because you'll have nothing to hide.

Worst-case scenario

Clearly the most dangerous concern of an unclean hood is the potential fire risk. If you cook with open flames, fire is just a few feet away from the combustible grease buildup in your hood system.

And once that catches fire, there may be plenty of more "fuel" throughout your entire exhaust system to turn an accident into a catastrophe. In other words, it takes only seconds or minutes for much of your restaurant to be gutted.

Your chance of having any significant fires is drastically reduced simply by taking the steps to keeping your commercial exhaust system clean.

Yes, these are real scenarios that affect restaurant owners every day. They impact food, customers, money, health and safety. Yet all of them can be avoid simply by keeping your hood cleaning on a regular basis.

APS Hoods - American Professional Services Respected and Renowned...Nationwide. The company's headquarters is located in Denver, Colorado. APS-Hoods is fully insured and bonded. They are licensed in the mechanical and electrical fields, as well as fire protection contracting. For more information, please visit www.aps-hoods.com.