What attracts customers to go back again and again to a particular restaurant besides the food and service are the ambiance and cleanliness. And those do not only manifest in appearance but also in terms of smell.
One major turn off in any restaurant or fast food is the smell of grease trap. And one of the main contributors to this is the hood or the kitchen’s exhaust system.
The reasons your restaurant’s hood need to be regularly serviced are the elimination of the smell, improved ventilation, greater energy savings, better government inspection rating, as well as better insurance coverage and lower premiums. That’s aside from having a cleaner working environment for the workers and a nicer place to dine in for customers.
But aside from its foul odor, unsightly appearance, and sanitary concerns, one of the reasons it needs to be eliminated is its being a fire hazard. In fact, the National Fire Protection Agency requires all commercial kitchens and restaurants be regularly cleaned. Not just ordinary cleaning but professionally at that.
Average Cost of Restaurant Hood Cleaning
The restaurant hood cleaning prices depend on whether the cleaning company charges per hour or flat rates but would typically cost around $400 to $450 on the average per job that includes cleaning of the up blast fans, duct works, baffle filters, and hood canopy according to Halo Restoration Services.
The average hourly rate for hood cleaning costs around $135 to $180 per hour, with the possibility of charging higher depending on how large the crew cleaning the site.
Although you may find that both methods end up with similar ending billing considering all things equal, the difference would lie on how much they charge the additional items to be cleaned. So it pays to ask questions and compare both scenarios to be able to choose which you think would yield cheaper price.
On the other hand, the commercial restaurant cleaning service cost typically ranges between $0.05 and $0.20 per square foot or $20 to $50 per hour for light cleaning that involves vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning the bathrooms. Professional carpet cleaning runs around $0.05 to $0.25 per square foot while stripping and waxing tile, vinyl, or hardwood floors ranges between $0.20 and $0.30 per square foot.
Kitchen cleaning hourly rates run at $50 to $150 per hour for the heavier type of cleaning which depends on how large the crew is and the level of cleaning involved.
What are Included
The commercial restaurant cleaning service cost, specifically for the hood cleaning would typically include the cleaning of the area such as behind the filters, the exhaust duct, and the exhaust fans depending on how many are included in the quotation, with the additional items not in the quote or exceeding the numbers specified in the quote would entail additional fee.
The task would be carried out using some of the supplies and tools or machinery that were specified in the quotation as well as the rate of the labor of the people involved in the cleaning.
The cost to protect existing structure is also included. Usually, equipment that would be directly affected by the cleaning would be wrapped in special plastic covers so as not to get dirty during the cleaning process.
Additional Costs
Professional hood cleaning for your restaurant should be a regular task especially so since food businesses are mandated by the government to follow strict laws on cleanliness, sanitation, and fire protection. But if you are new to the business and it would be the first time for your hood to be cleaned, then expect to spend a little higher than standard cost since it is likely dirtier compared to hoods that have been regularly cleaned.
Some heavy-duty cleaning also may be charged higher compared to regular cleanings like grease trap cleaning which may include the use of special cleaning agents to remove deep seated greases and dirt. Also, expect additional charges for removing access panels and complicated duct systems.
Depending on the method of charging you agreed to pay for the service, the following are usual additions to the basic rates for restaurant hood cleaning prices:
Hourly Rate:
- Additional exhaust fans – $50 to $75
- Cleaning filters – $5
- Access panels – $150
- Extra fees for first time cleaning
- Forced clean by the Health Department
- Long/complicated duct runs
- If the system needs scraping not washing
Flat Rate:
- Extra linear hood foot – $10 to $20
- Extra fan – $40 to $60
- Extra access panel – $55 to $75
- Extra fees for first time cleaning
- Forced clean by the Health Department
- Long/complicated duct runs
- If the system needs scraping not washing
Shopping for Restaurant Hood Cleaning
Although it is possible to get initial estimates online or over the phone by providing the necessary details and sending photos over the internet, still nothing beats an actual or ocular visit from the prospective contractors.
When you receive a visit from any of them, it pays to be observant of the manner of questioning from these professionals, if they ask many questions at all. When they do, chances are, they would be very meticulous of the service and would likely leave a very good impression.
More so if they explain the cleaning process thoroughly and give you an opportunity to ask as many questions as you may deem necessary to ensure that your requirements would be met.
Ask each of them to write a detailed proposal which includes the manner by which the cleaning would be carried out, how many cleaners would do the job, are there any machines involved, would they be using your water supply or would they bring their own, what type of supplies would they be using and what brands.
You could find a lot of contractors offering discounts if you sign for recurring services with them. Although it may be a tempting proposition considering the huge cost-savings, it would be wise if you could ask for a guarantee for the quality of service. Also, before signing the dotted line, be sure that the contract contains a clause that allows you to cancel the contract within 30 to 60 days if the satisfaction levels are not met.
Get free quotes using ProMatcher.com’s tool for your restaurant and other commercial hood cleaning services.
Factors Affecting Restaurant Hood Cleaning Prices
The size of hood – this is particularly true regardless of the whether the pricing method used is hourly or flat rate as the larger the hood, the longer it takes the cleaning task would be carried out. In the same manner that flat rates would charge by the measurement of the hood, so the bigger the size, the higher cost would be incurred.
How dirty it is – this is why ocular visit is important to be able to gauge the level of the difficulty the cleaning would take as the more grease build up, the more effort is needed to be exerted and the more cleaning supplies need to be used to get the job done which naturally translates to a higher cost.
Last cleaning – prices would also be decided by how often you call for the cleaning service. If you just do this only whenever the authorities call your attention, chances are, your kitchen hood dirt would speak for itself. So those which receive regular cleaning would generally be charged lower compared to those that take some time to be serviced as the contractor need a lot of catching up to do.
Local Labor rates – when looking for a professional cleaner, it is important to check out the prevailing labor rates in the area and compare them with the quotations provided. If the price in the quotation is not even remotely close to the prevailing labor rate, better look elsewhere.
Building’s height – the height considerations also play the part in the pricing of the commercial restaurant cleaning service cost as these would require much longer duct runs.
The scope of work – professional cleaners would quote prices based on their standard conditions. If there are additional tasks you need to include in the contract, then be ready to pay an additional service fee.
The hood’s use or the type of cooking involved – the contractor would normally be interested to know the type of activity the hood is made up for. If your restaurant business usually does frying or any type of cooking that involved oil or grease, chances are high that you would be quoted higher than usual because of the difficulty to remove those greases build up.
Commitment – those which agreed to commit regular future cleaning with the same company tend to be charged lower compared to availing of the one-time service only.
Documentation – the need for formal written documents for the cleaning like those that are required by the Health and Fire Departments would be more expensive than those regular cleaning that is just keeping up with cleanliness and not for anything else.