Im begining to feel like restaurants are a waste of time

[juniorc82]

I did another resty last night . I have thought to my self for a while that I am growing tired of restaurants unless you get the decent ones that stay on a monthly schedule and never really get trashed. I know the money in the winter is good and the repeat predictable income is also nice, but it seems like for the money I make inside a resty its not really that much. It just seems like you use a ton of chemicals and your truckmount gets ran pretty hard for not alot of money. I also dont know if its just around here but it seems like restaurants expect some phenominal deal even though they are way dirtier than most residentials or rentals. I guess I will continue to take restys but only if I can keep them on schedule. I would rather do a residential where I am doing half the work for the same amount. Or at least if I am gonna do a low ball job I would rather hack out a rental instead of being out all night and wiping grease off my hoses in the morning

 

[ACE]

Yea, leave them for the porty only hacks

 

[handdi]

you know i have got 3 this year and my prices are double what they were paying.
i think a lot of them are getting sick of shoty work and the cleaners not showing up when they
say they are.
But i hate doin them too but money is money

 

[Steve Toburen]

I did another resty last night . I have thought to my self for a while that I am growing tired of restaurants unless you get the decent ones that stay on a monthly schedule and never really get trashed. I know the money in the winter is good and the repeat predictable income is also nice, but it seems like for the money I make inside a resty its not really that much. It just seems like you use a ton of chemicals and your truckmount gets ran pretty hard for not alot of money. I also dont know if its just around here but it seems like restaurants expect some phenominal deal even though they are way dirtier than most residentials or rentals. I guess I will continue to take restys but only if I can keep them on schedule. I would rather do a residential where I am doing half the work for the same amount. Or at least if I am gonna do a low ball job I would rather hack out a rental instead of being out all night and wiping grease off my hoses in the morning

I feel your pain, Jon. Yet when I sold my CC business we were cleaning over 50 restaurants and bars every month and making a ton of consistent, regular cash flow. Ways to reduce the "pain":

1. Keep them on a regular monthly (some of ours were every two weeks schedule. You do this by ...
2. Getting a key and not letting them know in advance you are coming. (Sort of like the dumpster truck.) Also ...
3. Let them do the pre-vacuuming by arriving late enough they've already had the bus boys clean up. Or even better ...
4. Lots of our high end restys didn't open till lunch. (Or a few were closed on Mondays, etc.) So we would schedule a day crew in at 6 AM and they would bang it out and speed dry it before their first residential job. Re: that word "crew" ...
5. We never did commercial work solo. Too hard physically and emotionally late at night plus you have the safety factor. It is also much more efficient since you need one person to move and replace furniture. (See #2 above.)
6. Today I would seriously look at encapping much of the restaurant and then just extracting the high traffic areas. (Especially on a regular monthly schedule.) If I was doing a lot of this I might also run a 3 man crew- 1 guy extracting- 1 guy with a Cimex and 1 moving furniture. Imagine your production rate ...

Anyway, just a few ideas.

Steve Toburen
www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS If you are going to make the above work ya gotta be able to pick and choose your accounts. To make this happen you must have a regular, consistent, face-to-face sales schedule. But few carpet cleaners will do this. So sad ...

 

[Brian R]

Yet another reason I don't like commercial work unless it's upscale offices.

I get the same rate as residential or better in those.

Restaurant work is good if you have other's doing the work but the profit margin isn't going to be that great so you need the scheduled work like Steve said.

There are soooo many house in every city. The idea for everyone of course is to grab enough of them that it feels like they are on a schedule and you won't have to do commercial work as often.

Yes, I know it's good work for the winter and all that but it doesn't make it any less a PITA.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Profit margins are about equal for us. However almost everything is different from residential, especially production.

 

[juniorc82]

Yea, leave them for the porty only hacks

Your wrong for that one mike lol

 

[Bjorn]

In a perfect world they pre vacuum move the chairs and stick to a once a month or schedule and contract

Truth

when the staff knows the carpets are being cleaned that night, well lets say their not so neat.

you call back to set up the next cleaning and you always get "OH yeah the carpets still look great so lets wait a little longer, You could get the death blow which is " I'll let you know "

then six months or a year latter they call you talk to you like it was just yesterday and need a cleaning for the same price as the last time or less ( with the promise of sticking with a maintenance schedule)

Problem # 1 for me is the Campers you know it's just past closing time and those customers that just wont leave and think everything is about them. The restaurant wont ask them to leave.
they know your there to work but it makes no never mind to the camper they don't care.

Collage students and Canadians are notorious for that here

Regardless of the promises they will always sit some one 10 minutes befor you get there.

worst you wait and you cant charge them for the extra time ( you can try ) or you wont be cleaning.

Contracts are worthless and unenforceable without loosing the customer

 

[Royal Man]

I hear ya Odin,

I hate it when they order a picture of beer right when you should start cleaning.

Or the bid is for the staff to at least move all the chairs but it seldom happens after the first cleaning.

(O'We forgot you were coming even though you reminded them hours before.)

Or they want all the booths moved even though it was not in the bid.

Or the chinese restaurants whey they forget how to talk English when you need to get paid.

 

[Brian R]

Wow, you both described in detail my exact experiences with restaurants.

Here I thought I was the only one. :shock:

 

[bob vawter]

i always got there early.......
they all learned quick
that a meal
was INCLUDED!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Keys and alarm codes eliminate much of that.

 

[joe harper]

Keys and alarm codes eliminate much of that.

ToUcHe...!!!!

hOWEVER...I am pretty sure Lee & I are the only members here...wItHouT a FelOnY coNvitIon.

:mrgreen:

 

[Brian R]

Hey, I was never convicted. :x

 

[Charlie Lyman]

I hated doing the only one I was doing. They wouldn't get on a schedule and wanted it done too cheap. I got sick of it and doubled the fee and never heard from them again. Wasn't worth the time.

 

[bob vawter]

i'll kiss yor azz on the courthouse steps if you can tell me that you have EVER had the keys to a Chinese Restaurant....... somewhat amus

 

[Brian R]

i'll kiss yor azz on the courthouse steps if you can tell me that you have EVER had the keys to a Chinese Restaurant....... somewhat amus

I hear the Japanese restaurants like for you to attack the carpet at dawn.


Budumbump

 

[Steve Toburen]

I hated doing the only one I was doing. They wouldn't get on a schedule and wanted it done too cheap. I got sick of it and doubled the fee and never heard from them again. Wasn't worth the time.

That reminds me of the point #7 I forgot:

#7. As sson as possible quit doing the actual work yourself. I'm sure not too good to be pushing a wand at 3:00 AM if it is needed to feed my family. But for the vast majority of carpet cleaners (including owner-operators) doing late night commercial work is not the "highest and best use" of their time.

Steve Toburen
www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS Fortunately there are a lot of quality people out there who will be delighted to reliably do your commercial accounts at 25% of the gross. (Assuming you have bid the work properly.)

 

[Bjorn]

sorry almost forgot about the contract thing

it can only be enforced if you do some thing or forget or screw up has nothing to do with them

having the keys is no guarantee that when you open that door the floors are a mess with food paper crayons and chairs not moved or picked up

 

[Mike Draper]

I did another resty last night . I have thought to my self for a while that I am growing tired of restaurants unless you get the decent ones that stay on a monthly schedule and never really get trashed. I know the money in the winter is good and the repeat predictable income is also nice, but it seems like for the money I make inside a resty its not really that much. It just seems like you use a ton of chemicals and your truckmount gets ran pretty hard for not alot of money. I also dont know if its just around here but it seems like restaurants expect some phenominal deal even though they are way dirtier than most residentials or rentals. I guess I will continue to take restys but only if I can keep them on schedule. I would rather do a residential where I am doing half the work for the same amount. Or at least if I am gonna do a low ball job I would rather hack out a rental instead of being out all night and wiping grease off my hoses in the morning

They expect a phenomenal deal because that's what you have given them. Am i correct?

 

[Bjorn]

was it a Golden Dragon?

 

[Steve Toburen]

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PS Fortunately there are a lot of quality people out there who will be delighted to reliably do your commercial accounts at 25% of the gross. (Assuming you have bid the work properly.)[/quote:1yj2o5mj]

 

[juniorc82]

I did bid the job a bit low I must say. We did average 90 per hour which is profitable for my overhead. Next monthwhen we get our system down it will take a half hour less according to my calculations

 

[BLewis]

Heck, I spent 10 minutes typing a response while on the crapper today on my little screen pad I-Phone only to loose it before posting. I gave some insights into what I like about cleaning restaurants and hints about how to improve your "we forgots" etc etc etc. We are about 3 restaurants away form hitting our first goal per year for this commercial division. Nothing close to ST but maybe one day!!!

 

[GCP]

Yet another reason I don't like commercial work unless it's upscale offices.

I get the same rate as residential or better in those.

Restaurant work is good if you have other's doing the work but the profit margin isn't going to be that great so you need the scheduled work like Steve said.

There are soooo many house in every city. The idea for everyone of course is to grab enough of them that it feels like they are on a schedule and you won't have to do commercial work as often.

Yes, I know it's good work for the winter and all that but it doesn't make it any less a PITA.