Video Showing Questionable Mopping Practices Shuts Down Restaurant

Proper cleaning of restaurant surfaces is crucial for hygiene and patron safety. And also for the reputation of the restaurant, especially in these days of social media, as the owner of a Subway restaurant on the South Side of Chicago found.

Last week a video surfaced on social media showing a worker at the restaurant wiping a counter near a soft drink dispenser with a dirty mop previously used to clean the floor, CBS News reports. The video went viral, and someone from the Chicago Department of Public Health saw it, prompting a surprise inspection of the restaurant. The sandwich restaurant failed the inspection, leading to public health representatives suspending the business’ license, telling customers they had to leave, and locking the building’s doors.

This is not the first time the restaurant has come under fire from the Health Department. It failed two inspections in 2017 and was cited for serving food that didn’t meet proper temperature requirements and a worker observed washing his hands without using soap.

Protect your facility’s patrons and your company’s online reputation by following cleaning techniques that prevent cross contamination. Color code your cleaning tools, so you don’t use the same mop or cloth to clean the kitchen and the bathroom. Upgrade your tools to those that use materials, such as microfiber, that hold onto dirt and bacteria instead of spreading it around. And clean from top to bottom, washing higher surfaces first, then scrubbing the floor last.