— By Adam Povlitz — Best practices and applying lessons learned during COVID-19 to commercial cleaning. For a time, the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of remorseless uncertainty, and every industry across the nation grappled with how to address the pandemic safely while making every effort to keep businesses afloat. This is especially true for retail and restaurants in our cities and neighborhoods. In the early days of the pandemic, closures caused widespread damage to our favorite shopping and dining spots. For retail outfits, operations shifted and relied …
Industry Voices
— By Marian Nolletti — The dangers of rooftop grease. Any type of grease from animal fats or vegetable fats on a rooftop can reduce the roof system’s resistance to UV rays and heat. Plus, it can cause premature deterioration of your roof, as well as increase the risk of fires and slips and falls. If all of that isn’t bad enough, it can also void most roof warranties and violate environmental regulations. Grease will destroy any roof system if left sitting on it. Common defects from it include …
— By Andrea Lisbona — Best practices for long term PPE implementation in retail design. Prior to the pandemic, it would have been rare to consider PPE like hand sanitizer, plexiglass barriers and masks as critical elements in enhancing the customer experience in retail environments. Today, a standing hand sanitizer dispenser, for example, is the norm at a retail door; it is the first thing customers will see and use when they walk into a store, and continue to experience throughout their browsing and buying journey. It’s clear that …
— By Inna Tuler — How to navigate the maze of retail construction in today’s post-COVID environment. The popularity of online shopping has recently seen a marked expansion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in spite of growing e-commerce purchasing, brick-and-mortar retailers are far from obsolete. Retail sales at physical store locations in 2020 made up approximately 85% of all U.S. retail sales, but given the onslaught of online competition, brick-and-mortar retailers cannot lose sight of their physical store strategies. There are many reasons why a retailer location will …
— By Ara Aslanian — How to reopen your restaurant free of cyber concerns. Despite an apocalyptic prediction last year, only 14% of restaurants closed permanently during the pandemic. After a dark winter of to-go-only orders or limited capacity, restaurants are finally seeing the light and preparing for the coming summertime boom as the dining restrictions lift across the country. However, while restaurants are rushing back to full operation, many are doing so without running a thorough IT upgrade and cybersecurity check. The pandemic has seen a surge in …
— By Chris Gurreri — How restaurants can rise to the raised expectations of what “clean” means in a post-pandemic world. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened everyone’s awareness of everyday actions, from breathing to touching doorknobs. One area that deeply affects the retail and restaurant industry is the general public’s increased expectation of cleanliness in public spaces. Restaurants from the fast-food industry to local cafes have put up signs demonstrating their commitment to health, detailing their mask requirements, social distancing requests and cleaning procedures. In this article, we’ll …
— By Megan Varano — The benefits to outsourcing your facilities maintenance program and what to look for when choosing a provider. If you’re considering outsourcing any part of your company’s facilities maintenance services, you’re not alone. There is no industry divide — organizations, both big and small, are feeling the strain. Do you have in-house teams that are being stretched thin, important repairs and services being missed, or are you looking to expand coverage beyond what your team can handle? While most organizations are focused on the direction …
— By David Vigil — Embracing consumer demand for a new standard of safety and hygiene. Retail and restaurant leaders understand the importance of customer service, but amidst the events of the past 12 months, a greater focus has been placed on safety and hygiene — especially as more consumers begin to venture out of their bubble, governors across the country begin easing restrictions, and the vaccine becomes more accessible. To rebuild confidence internally with employees, and externally with customers, facilities must establish protocols that sufficiently address pandemic-related safety …
— By Ramez Naguib, P.E. — Effect of air filter rating on energy consumption in restaurants during COVID-19. This we know: COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets, which are then released when someone with COVID-19 sneezes, coughs or talks. Infectious droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Current data do not support long range aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, such as seen with measles or tuberculosis. Short-range inhalation of aerosols is a …
— By Alexandria Pegnato and Tom Coble — Roof management enters the digital age. Historically, when it came to managing a multi-site roof portfolio, a difficult choice had to be made. Does one commit a sizeable budget to being proactive by way of regular inspections and preventive maintenance? Or instead react to issues as they arise, saving money in the short term, but running the risk of increased spend and deteriorating roof performance over time? It was a difficult decision with no ideal option. Now as roofing enters the …