Look, I have been in this business since the 1970s—started as a dishwasher and worked my way through every corner of hospitality and food service cleaning. And let me tell you something: I can walk into any facility and within about fifteen minutes, I know whether their sanitation program is up to snuff or running on borrowed time.
After decades in the trenches, and now working with food processors and breweries at ChemStation Boston, I have seen the same warning signs pop up again and again. The good news? Most of these problems are fixable—if you catch them early.
Sign #1: Outdated Equipment That is Past Its Prime
You know that pressure washer or foaming sprayer that has been working fine for the last fifteen years? The one you have got on speed dial with your repair guy? Here is the thing: old equipment does not just break down more often—it becomes less effective at what it is supposed to do.
Modern equipment has better chemical delivery systems, more precise temperature controls, and frankly, better engineering. When I see facilities nursing along equipment that predates the Obama administration, I know we are looking at higher costs, inconsistent results, and, usually, frustrated operators working harder than they need to.
Sign #2: Your ATP Results Are All Over the Map
ATP testing is like taking your facility’s temperature. When those numbers bounce around like a pinball machine—100 one day, 500 the next, then back down to 75—that tells me something is fundamentally wrong with your process.
Consistent processes produce consistent results. Period. If your ATP numbers are inconsistent, it means your operators are guessing at dilutions, skipping steps, or working with unclear procedures. This is usually a training and documentation issue, not a people problem.
Sign #3: You Are Writing the Same Corrective Actions Over and Over
Nothing frustrates me more than seeing the same corrective action show up month after month on audit reports. Retrain staff on proper sanitizer concentration. Review hand-washing procedures with the team. Inspect and clean low-boy coolers.
If you keep writing the same corrective actions, you are treating symptoms instead of fixing the disease. The real issue might be that your procedures are too complicated, your chemicals are not idiot-proof enough, or your verification system has gaps. Recurring problems demand systematic solutions, not more training sessions.
Sign #4: New Employees Look Confused and Experienced Ones Cannot Explain the Why
Here is a test I love: ask a veteran employee to explain WHY they do something a certain way. Not what they do—why they do it. If they cannot tell you, your training program is teaching tasks instead of understanding.
And when new hires look like deer in headlights after three weeks on the job? That tells you that your protocols are not documented clearly, that you are relying too much on tribal knowledge, or—and this is common—different shifts are doing things entirely differently. None of these are sustainable.
Sign #5: Chemical Costs Keep Creeping Up
I hear this one a lot: Jerry, our chemical costs have gone up 30 percent in the last two years. And sure, sometimes that is inflation or supply chain issues. But more often? It is a waste.
Operators are eyeballing dilutions instead of measuring and using more product than necessary because more is better. Running equipment with incorrect dispenser settings and buying specialty products for problems that could be solved with the proper use of existing chemicals. Every one of these issues points to a program that needs better controls and education.
Sign #6: You Cannot Produce Data When Someone Asks for It
This is the new kid on the block, but it is becoming critical fast. When a customer asks about your sanitation practices, when an auditor wants to see trends, when corporate wants proof of program effectiveness—can you produce that data in fifteen minutes? Or do you start scrambling through filing cabinets and computer folders?
Modern food safety is data-driven. If you cannot track and analyze your sanitation metrics—chemical usage, cleaning times, ATP trends, equipment maintenance schedules, training completion—you cannot demonstrate continuous improvement. And increasingly, you cannot prove due diligence if something goes wrong.
This is not about going paperless for the sake of it. It is about having the information you need to make better decisions and prove you are doing things right.
Quick Wins: Where to Start
The good news? You do not have to fix everything at once. Here are three high-impact moves that can turn things around fast:
* Digitalize Your Protocols and Training: Get your SOPs into a format where operators can access them on their phones. Add photos and videos. Make updates instantly available to everyone. This alone solves 60 percent of the confusion issues I see.
* Optimize Chemical Dilution and Use: Install proper dispensing systems. Verify they are calibrated. Train operators on proper measurement. Calculate your real cost-per-use. Most facilities find they can reduce chemical consumption by 20-40 percent just by getting this right.
* Run Cross-Functional Team Audits: Get someone from maintenance, someone from production, and someone from QA to walk through your sanitation procedures together. Fresh eyes catch things that have become invisible to your regular team. The insights you get are worth their weight in gold.
* Have your chemical provider assist with an online portal for all of your chemical SDSs, Tech Sheets, and Service Reports.
The Bottom Line
Look, I have been around long enough to know that nobody wakes up wanting to overhaul their sanitation program. It is not sexy. It is not exciting. But it is absolutely critical to everything else you do.
The facilities that thrive are those that recognize these warning signs early and address them systematically. They invest in good equipment, clear procedures, proper training, and the data systems to prove it all works.
If you recognize your operation in three or more of these signs, it is time to take a hard look at your program. The good news is that every one of these issues is fixable—and the payoff in reduced costs, better consistency, and peace of mind is worth every minute you invest.
Want to talk through what you are seeing in your facility? That is what I do. Whether you are looking to launch a new product to the food service or hospitality market or need help getting your sanitation program dialed in, I have got 40+ years of real-world experience to share.
Connect with me at HospitalityCleaning101.com and sign up for our newsletter or catch the Cleaning Processes with Jerry podcast, where we dig into this stuff twice a month.