Restaurant Cleaning Cost [Front & Back of House Rates]

Maintaining a clean and hygienic restaurant is essential for the health and safety of your customers and staff.

Not only does it create a more pleasant dining experience for your customers, but it also helps to prevent the spread of germs and illness, and can help to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. A dirty and cluttered restaurant can also damage your reputation and negatively impact your bottom line.

The average hourly rate for cleaning services in the United States is between $60 an hour to $150 an hour. Los Angeles and New York City restaurants pay around $450 per cleaning, based on 3 hours at $150 an hour. While restaurants in Arizona and Florida typically pay only $60 an hour. Those rates are strictly for cleaning the kitchen. For a general cleaning that includes both front of the house and back of the house, the price is around 0.13 per sqft.

As a restaurant business owner, keeping your establishment clean is a crucial aspect of running a successful business. However, the cost of cleaning services can be significant, and it’s important to understand the factors that affect the cost in order to make informed decisions.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the different factors that affect the cost of restaurant cleaning services, and provide some tips on how to keep your cleaning costs low.

What Factors Influence The Price?

• Hourly rate of cleaning services: The hourly rate for cleaning services can vary greatly depending on the company and location. The average hourly rate for cleaning services in the United States is around $60 an hour, but this can vary greatly depending on the region and the company. For example, the starting price for restaurant cleaning in Los Angeles is $150, which includes only 1 hour.
• Size of the restaurant: The size of the restaurant is a major factor that affects the cost of cleaning services. The larger the restaurant, the more time it will take to clean, and the higher the cost. For example, a small café may take just a few hours to clean, while a large hotel restaurant may take several days.
• Level of cleaning required: The level of cleaning required can also affect the cost of services. Regular cleaning, which includes tasks such as sweeping, mopping, and dusting, is less expensive than deep cleaning, which includes tasks such as scrubbing floors, cleaning the kitchen exhaust system, and washing walls and ceilings.
• Additional services: Some cleaning companies may offer additional services such as floor waxing, carpet cleaning, and window washing. These services will add to the overall cost of cleaning.
• Location: The location of the restaurant can also affect the cost of cleaning services. In general, cleaning services in urban areas tend to be more expensive than in a rural area.

What Needs To Be Cleaned In A Restaurant?

Back of The House Cleaning Services

Kitchen Cleaning

Kitchens are the most complicated job. All of the equipment must be wiped down, along with food preparation surfaces and the pass where the plated food is placed after it’s cooked.

Kitchen cleaning is the most expensive, due to the disinfecting work involved. General prices vary from .30 to .40 centers per square foot or $50 to $75 per hour.

Walk-In Refrigerator Cleaning

The walk-in refrigerator, known in restaurant parlance as “walk-in” is where uncooked food, as well as leftovers, are stored.

Most restaurants have their kitchen staff handle cleaning the floor and other spaces in the walk-in, although if an outside service is used, it will cost .30 to .40 centers per square foot or $50 to $75 per hour.

Average Hood Cleaning Cost

Cleaning the kitchen hood is an hourly task and is priced between $120 to $200 per hour, and may cost more if you need a large team.

Expect to pay more for cleaning components like exhaust fans, which will be an additional $50 to $75. Also, filter cleaning may cost an additional $5-$10. Finally, if you don’t already have a way to collect excess grease you should consider finding out the cost to install a grease trap.

Front of The House Cleaning Services

Floor Cleaning

There are many different types of flooring in restaurants. Dining areas may be carpeted, while kitchen spaces have tile and floor mats.

Bathroom Cleaning

Bathrooms are small, but restaurants often have several of them. There might be an employee-only bathroom at the back of the restaurant, as well as separate men’s and ladies’ rooms for customers.

Cleaning Outdoor Spaces

In most cases, the outdoor spaces, like those nearest the dumpsters – exterior exits used by employees and similar spaces – are very small and inexpensive to clean.

Cleaning Waiting Areas and Entrances

Both the waiting areas and entrances to a restaurant must be cleaned, as they are the first things customers see upon entering your establishment. These spaces see a lot of foot traffic and have floors and walls that must be cleaned.

Office Space Cleaning

The office space in a restaurant is where the owner handles paperwork, signs contracts, and does basic bookkeeping work.

These spaces are priced very similarly to the others, at .12 to .20 cents per square foot or $20 to $25 per hour.

Time It Takes To Clean A Restaurant Kitchen

The average time it takes to clean a kitchen thoroughly is around 4-6 hours for a regular kitchen and 8-10 hours for a large and busy kitchen. This includes tasks such as washing dishes, scrubbing down surfaces, and sanitizing equipment.

Regular Cleaning Vs Deep Cleaning

The difference between regular cleaning and deep cleaning is that regular cleaning includes tasks such as sweeping, mopping, and dusting, while deep cleaning includes tasks such as scrubbing floors, cleaning the kitchen exhaust system, and washing walls and ceilings. Deep cleaning is more thorough and is designed to ensure that your restaurant is hygienic and safe for both customers and staff.

It is recommended that a restaurant should be deep cleaned at least once a month or more frequently if the restaurant is busy or if there are any health concerns, as that will maintain a high level of hygiene and safety. A deep cleaning schedule should also include cleaning tasks such as:

• Cleaning the kitchen exhaust system
• Scrubbing floors
• Washing walls and ceilings
• Cleaning and sanitizing kitchen equipment
• Deep cleaning the kitchen appliances
• Cleaning the ventilation and air ducts

Additionally, depending on the type of food service, it may be necessary to deep clean more frequently. For example, a restaurant that serves seafood may need to deep clean more often than a restaurant that serves only vegetarian dishes.

Heavy Cleaning

Heavy cleaning in a restaurant refers to a more thorough and comprehensive cleaning process than regular or deep cleaning. This type of cleaning is usually done less frequently than regular or deep cleaning, but it is essential for maintaining a safe and hygienic environment.

Heavy cleaning typically includes tasks such as:

• Stripping and waxing floors
• Cleaning and sanitizing kitchen equipment
• Cleaning and sanitizing the ventilation and air ducts
• Removing built-up grease and grime from kitchen exhaust systems
• Cleaning and sanitizing the entire kitchen, including walls and ceilings
• Cleaning and sanitizing the bathrooms and other public areas
• Removing any pests or other potential health hazards

It’s important to note that, in addition to these tasks, heavy cleaning may also involve some level of remodeling or repairs, such as painting or replacing flooring.

In summary, heavy cleaning in a restaurant is a more comprehensive and thorough cleaning process that is essential for maintaining a safe and hygienic environment.

In-House Cleaners Versus Hiring a Restaurant Cleaning Service

Restaurant owners have two main choices when it comes to getting their businesses cleaned. They can either hire in-house cleaning employees or a professional restaurant cleaning service.

In-House Cleaners

In-house cleaners are employees who come in after-hours to clean the restaurant. They work a standard eight-hour shift and leave before the restaurant opens for the day.

These workers need to be paid by the hour, and many receive benefits as they are full-time employees. As a result, they tend to be more expensive than a cleaning service. Plus, they need to be trained in order to do their jobs.

Hiring an Outside Service

Professional restaurant cleaning services employ trained cleaners who know the ins and outs of the cleaning process. They handle the job quickly and easily. You only need to pay them their required hourly or square-foot rate, and you won’t have to worry about anything else.