Restaurant Cleaning: Hidden Profits or Guaranteed Headaches?

Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow tackle one of the most controversial topics in commercial cleaning: Should you take on restaurant cleaning contracts?

In this episode of Polishing Profits, the team shares real stories and hard lessons from decades cleaning everything from greasy spoons to 5-star hotel kitchens.

You’ll discover:

•  ✅ Why restaurants are the easiest accounts to land—and the hardest to keep profitable
•  ✅ The dirty secrets behind restaurant cleaning margins
•  ✅ How to avoid the common traps that drain time, cash, and sanity
•  ✅ When restaurants make sense for a new cleaning business
•  ✅ What to consider before you sign your first restaurant contract

Whether you’re a startup janitorial company or a seasoned operator, this episode will help you decide if chasing restaurant dollars is worth the grind.

🎙️ What You’ll Learn:

• Why restaurant cleaning is high-risk/high-reward
• How to calculate if the cash flow is worth the chaos
• The hidden costs (late payments, tough schedules, sanitation headaches)
• Alternatives to restaurant cleaning if you’re scaling up

🕒 Episode Breakdown:
 00:00 – Welcome & why we’re talking restaurants
 01:27 – The pros and cons of restaurant accounts
 03:49 – Real stories: from bar bathrooms to 5-star kitchens
 06:09 – Why expectations are so high (and budgets so low)
 08:32 – How cleaning restaurants shapes your business mindset
 16:53 – Final advice: is it worth it?

📌 This Episode is For:

• New cleaning business owners looking for their first contracts
• Operators wondering if restaurants are worth the hassle
• Anyone growing a janitorial company who wants to avoid costly mistakes

🧠 Resources:

•  ➡️ Catch up on previous episodes of Polishing Profits here: The Profitable Cleaner Network 

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

• Sharon Cowan, CBSE – LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
• Mark Anderson – LinkedIn
• Ed Selkow – Facebook

About Polishing Profits

Polishing Profits is hosted by three of the most respected leaders in the janitorial industry—Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, and Ed Selkow. With over 140 years of combined experience, they’ve built and scaled cleaning companies, coached hundreds of owners, and helped countless teams grow stronger.

Every episode delivers real stories, actionable strategies, and tools to build a cleaning business that thrives.

Produced by The Profitable Cleaner Network.

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