Do you judge a restaurant by the quality of their washrooms?
Restaurant washrooms areas are one of the most critical factors of a customer’s experience in the establishment and are just as important as the food served. According to research by Cannon Hygiene, 97% of Brits would not return to a restaurant that has dirty washroom facilities. It is vital to maintain the highest possible standards when it comes to the cleanliness and upkeep of restaurant toilet facilities and it is now more important than ever to ensure public washrooms are both clean and well maintained. Would you want to run the risk of losing a customer because your washroom facilities are run down? Or having a bad review because of the standard of your washroom? We think not. People will not put up with bad standards in toilets, and lack of soap, bad smells, dirty floors and lack of toilet paper are among the top faults that people often turn to social media to complain about in these areas.
In response to the current pandemic and the easing of lockdown restrictions, restaurants are slowly being allowed to reopen their doors and welcome back customers with strict social distancing measures in place. Hygiene and hand washing have never been more important to businesses in keeping their customers and employees safe and protected. Providing a washroom space that is fit for purpose is now more important to both restaurant owners and customers than ever.
We’re going to outline the aspects of designing restaurant bathrooms that make a good first impression and are easy to clean and maintain. We hope this helps you to get started on your restaurant or hotel washroom renovation journey.
Creating a well-designed washroom:
Customers don’t just visit restaurants to eat and leave, they visit to escape the chore of cooking at home, to socialise with friends and family and to celebrate special occasions. Because of this, it’s essential to make sure that your washroom/toilets facilities meet the same standards as the rest of their experience. Afterall, a rundown washroom gives the impression of a rundown kitchen.
Washrooms and toilet designs in restaurants should be based on easy to clean and maintain toilet cubicles, urinals and vanity units that look clean and modern. A well-designed washroom area will give the impression that the owner cares about their customers’ overall experience in their restaurant
In order to create a welcoming atmosphere in washroom facilities, designs and layouts have to be given consideration. To avoid queues, the correct number of wash hand basins need to be installed so that the flow of users in and out of this often restricted space is constant.
As a toilet cubicle manufacturer that has worked on many public washroom projects, we recommend using a cubicle design that looks high end, like our Nu-Level range. This design takes cubicles to a ‘Nu-Level’ with a full height flush cubicle front creating a visually high-end system, perfect for a restaurant washroom.
Easy to Maintain:
We understand that constant renovations are not ideal for restaurants as they often cannot open If the toilet facilities are out of use for long periods of time. To help minimise any disruptions, we highly recommend side-hinged IPS access panels as they can be accessed using a key. This design allows easy access to pipework and water supply, whilst maintaining health and safety standards as there are no tools required to access pipe works. This also keeps disruption to the washroom facilities to a minimum if plumbing repairs are needed, meaning they can take place quickly and with little mess or damage.
Durability:
In a high traffic area such as a restaurant, bathroom furniture such as toilet cubicles, vanity unit basins and IPS panels must be able to withstand regular use. Getting this right will prove to be cost effective in the long term, as replacing washroom products should not be a regular occurrence for restaurant owners. This would cause disruption to business and result in bathrooms being out of use to customers, so choosing a material that is built to last will ensure you don’t have to deal with these types of inconveniences very often.
High Pressure Laminate (HPL) is a medium to heavy duty material which is designed to withstand the daily usage of high traffic areas. We only use 2mm ABS edging as opposed to 1mm thick to provide better edge protection and increased longevity.
Solid Grade Laminate (SGL) is recommended to be used in heavy duty environments and is fully water resistant, meaning that it can be used for toilet cubicles, vanity units and IPS panels in both wet and dry environments. We offer the added benefit of antibacterial laminates at no extra cost by utilizing laminate manufacturers such as Polyrey or Greenlam’s washroom ranges which are supplied with antibacterial treatments as standard.
We have been designing, manufacturing and supplying washroom products such as our range of cubicle systems, bathroom vanities and storage units, and IPS panels for many years and know what it takes to ensure restaurant facilities are up to scratch. Check out our case study for Cocoa Bar & Bistro in Aberdeen, when we worked to renovate their bathrooms into a high quality, stylish space.
If you have any questions about our wide range of washroom solutions or our lead times, please get in touch and our experts will be more than happy to assist you.
