That is a lot of customers to lose but, lost sales aside, it also suggests a huge credibility problem for the brand. How does a QSR reconcile the family-friendly message of their advertising campaign with the bacterial experiment taking place in your washrooms? Dirty washrooms let customers down; they let the brand down. They imply the business doesn't walk the talk. They imply the restaurant doesn't care. Dirty washrooms hurt credibility and the brand.
Why are washrooms such an issue with customers? What the industry calls "Health and Safety," customers call "Hygiene." Hygiene is tightly coupled with food preparation and the facilities bear witness to the safety of the food preparation and the food itself. A recurring theme in the survey was that if the washroom was dirty then so was the kitchen. Customers can't see the kitchen. They can see the washroom and can imagine the staff using it ... right before they prepare their meal.
What can a restaurant do about it?
First, set the expectation with training. Yearly turnover can be 100 percent or more in the quick service restaurant business which means training needs to be done relentlessly and repeatedly.
Second, daily processes involving the store owner/franchisee, managers and assistant managers should be set up to ensure washrooms are cleaned repeatedly and thoroughly. Standards should be posted and detailed.
Last, district and regional managers should have the means to communicate and rate a store's performance in all key areas, including washrooms. A store scorecard should be completed by the district manager monthly or quarterly and the washroom set up as a "critical" item which will critically affect and lower the score unless standards are met. Measurement, in and of itself, actually breeds compliance. Measure relentlessly, score aggressively and your washrooms "performance" will improve.