Movie theater owners and managers face many challenges. One of the biggest is to keep the facility clean and sanitary when the public constantly comes and goes. A dirty movie theater will lose customers and profits. How can you avoid this problem? Here are five things you and your staff can do starting today.
1. Greet With Cleanliness
First impressions are everything. What do customers see when they first enter your movie house? Does staff keep glass windows at the ticket booth clean, regularly using a squeegee and window cleaner on both sides? Are doors fingerprint-free? Is the ticket booth area organized and orderly? Are signs in good shape, or have they become rundown?
Look at your floors and counters. Are public areas littered with popcorn, wrappers, and old ticket stubs? If customers see a lack of simple cleanliness in public areas, they are likely to assume that your dark theaters are the same or worse.
2. Choose Low-Maintenance Options
When purchasing fabrics, materials, and fixtures, look for modern, low-maintenance varieties. Faux leather or vinyl stadium seating may cost a little more, for instance, but often proves easier to clean than traditional fabric seat choices. And if you use sinks that hang from the walls, employees can more easily and thoroughly clean the floor.
Where should you look for low-maintenance options? When replacing bathroom fixtures, look for modern automatic fixtures, including automatic flush toilets and touchless faucets that minimize physical contact. High-quality hand dryers can also keep the bathroom free of towel mess. Even replacing a set of stairs with a small ramp makes cleaning easier — encouraging employees to do a better job.
3. Keep Food Areas Tidy
Concessions are a vital income source for theaters. And the quickest way to turn off customers is for your food areas to be unclean. Make sure staff takes the time to clean the popcorn machines, roasters, and smoothie machines. If necessary, schedule workers during slow periods in the midweek or mornings to complete these tasks.
Provide plenty of ways for busy employees to wipe down the concession stand and nearby counters. And ensure that theater cleaning crews use disinfecting wipes to clean cup holders and trays — some of the most unsanitary areas of most theaters — to prevent your business from becoming a disease-spreading hot spot.
4. Hire a Service
Many theaters try to have their staff do much of the cleaning and maintenance. But times exist when you might need or want to hire professionals. This might include busy nights during popular new releases or times when bad weather in the winter means that fabrics and carpet become dirtier faster.
Outsourcing some aspects of regular daily or weekly cleaning means your employees can focus on improving customer service — like directing customers as they enter, reducing lines at concession stands, or ensuring that equipment functions at peak performance.
5. Schedule Deep Cleans
Whether or not you have an outside service for everyday cleaning, hire one for seasonal deep cleaning. When to schedule deeper cleaning depends on weather patterns, foot traffic, and the materials involved.
Start with three areas: mats, carpets, and seats. Entry-area floor mats often need cleaning every week or two. High-traffic carpets benefit from a deeper cleaning at least once per month. And many theaters rarely — if ever — perform serious cleaning of their seats, even if this is mandatory. Keep your reputation good and your customers happy by scheduling fabric cleaning on a regular basis.
Want more help tidying up your movie theater and keeping it in the best shape? At Advanced Office Care, we specialize in commercial cleaning for businesses of all sizes and needs. Call today to learn more about how we can help you.
