Independent Research Finds Restaurant Cleanliness
is Most Important Attribute to Consumers
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ecolab Inc. today launched its "Why Clean Matters" awareness campaign at
the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago with the goal
of sharing new research and insight from chefs and industry experts
about the impact cleanliness has on restaurant performance. Cleanliness
tied with food taste as the most important attribute in choosing a
restaurant, according to surveys of 13,000 restaurant consumers by
Technomic, a leading foodservice research firm.
"Having clean tableware is the most important thing for us. It shows
guests we care and want them to have a positive experience," said
Anthony Leonardi, executive chef, Salut Bar Americain. "All of my hard
work in the kitchen goes out the window if the dishware I'm plating on
didn't get clean on the first pass through the dishwasher. That dish —
along with the filet mignon on it — is coming back to the kitchen."
Two Consumer Restaurant Brand Metrics trend studies conducted by
Technomic in 2010 and Q1 2011 asked consumers to rate performance at
leading restaurant chains on experience attributes. The surveys found
that cleanliness consistently ranked as one of the most important
attributes. Key insights included:
-
Cleanliness of tableware (dishes, glasses, silverware) consistently
was ranked as the most important attribute to full service customers —
with 93 percent saying it is their top attribute.
-
Interior cleanliness ranked as the second most important attribute,
tying with food temperature in the 2010 survey responses.
-
There was a positive correlation between chains with the highest
cleanliness ratings and loyalty factors such as "intent to return" and
"recommend to others."
"Partnering with Ecolab has been a big benefit to us in making sure that
we maintain our safety standards. But it's not just about the standard
itself, it's also about the method by which we maintain those
standards," said Chef Lenny Russo, executive chef and owner, Heartland.
"Heartland goes to great lengths to make sure we have as little impact
on the environment as possible — Ecolab is an integral piece of that by
making sure that the products that we buy from them have as little
environmental impact as possible but also provide the highest amount of
safety."
"As restaurant operators struggled through the economic downturn, many
understandably looked at cost-cutting opportunities in the back of the
house, sometimes without realizing the importance that guests placed on
clean glasses and tableware," said Nicolas Granucci, vice president of
Foodservice Marketing at Ecolab. "We're always looking for ways to help
restaurant owners and managers deliver a clean and safe experience for
their guests. For example, our Apex® Conveyor dishmachine and
the Ecolab Cleaning Caddy received the prestigious 2011 Kitchen
Innovation Award for their ability to increase cleanliness, productivity
and environmental sustainability in foodservice operations."
"Cleanliness is the most important thing — from our guest's perspective
when they open up the silverware and see sparkling silver, that sends a
message to them that we're focused on the details," said Chef John Metz
of Marlow's Tavern." The process that Ecolab has helped us develop at
Marlowe's — the value for us is first and foremost that the guest never
sees a piece of dirty silverware."
To view videos of chefs sharing their stories on Why Clean Matters and
learn more about the Technomic research, visit www.WhyCleanMatters.com
or stop by the Ecolab booth (# 3600) at the National Restaurant
Association Show in Chicago, May 21-24, 2011.
With sales of $6 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc.
(NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety
and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers
comprehensive programs and services to foodservice, food and beverage
processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160
countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.
(ECL-C)
Ecolab Inc.
Jennifer Kirscher, 651-293-2846
Source: Ecolab Inc.
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