A guest’s experience at your hospitality establishment may begin at reception, but it’s often defined by what arrives on their plate. Whether it’s an excellent room-service burger or an exquisite signature dish, this is where your promises of quality, attention to detail, and exceptional care truly come to life. Yet nothing shatters that impression faster than a dirty plate, an unpleasant odour, or an unexpected bout of food poisoning.
“You can’t deliver five-star food from a one-star kitchen,” says Jeff Madkins, Head of Marketing at Unilever Professional. “Guests don’t see the kitchen, but they feel the consequences of how it’s run. It only takes one slip – a contaminated surface, a badly washed utensil – to turn an excellent meal into a complaint.”
And this isn’t just an opinion. A study published on ResearchGate’s online platform found that 90% of guests consider cleanliness a deciding factor in whether they would recommend a hotel or return.[1] And for four- and five-star establishments, hygiene is one of the most influential drivers of reputation.
Kitchens Built for Pressure, not Pause
Commercial kitchens are fast-moving spaces built around speed, heat, and pressure. Amid the pace, hygiene can’t be an afterthought. It needs to be a shared discipline embedded into every moment of service.
Chef Mary, a hospitality veteran with more than 30 years’ experience, believes cleanliness is the foundation of any professional kitchen. “A kitchen is only as good as it is clean,” she says. “Great cooking is about control. And if your station is chaotic or contaminated, you’ve already lost control.”
In her article The True Mark of a Great Kitchen[2], she writes that cleaning isn’t a job to be done at the end of the night. It’s a rhythm built into every task. “You clean between every plate, not just at the end of service. A spotless station isn’t just safe, it sets the standard for every plate you send out.”
Dirty Kitchens Cost More Than Just Stars
The risk of cutting corners is high. It’s common knowledge that just one incident of cross-contamination can lead to foodborne illness, health inspections, and long-term brand damage. Yet, many kitchen teams underestimate the importance of rigorous hygiene practices, relying on rushed cleanups, improper storage, or inconsistent temperature checks. And these small oversights can snowball into serious consequences because a dirty kitchen doesn’t just hurt guests – it hurts business.
“A hygienically clean kitchen protects the guest, the team, and the bottom line,” says Madkins. “It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to boost efficiency, reduce waste, and build trust.”
Five Hygiene Habits of a Five-Star Kitchen
Chef Mary shares five habits that should be non-negotiable in every commercial kitchen:
1. Sanitise between every task: Prep areas must be cleaned thoroughly with every ingredient change.
2. Foster a ‘clean as you go’ mindset: Waiting until the end of the shift creates risk and unnecessary pressure.
3. Focus on friction points: Pay special attention to fridge handles, knives, containers and cloths.
4. Implement a visible cleaning schedule: Structure helps hold teams accountable.
5. Lead by example: Senior kitchen staff set the tone for hygiene culture.
“A clean kitchen doesn’t slow you down. It sets you up,” adds Chef Mary. “It’s the one standard you should never compromise.”
Lasting Impression
Guests don’t need to see a kitchen to know how it’s run. They experience it in how the food looks, tastes, and makes them feel. A spotless kitchen won’t earn you a Michelin star – but without it, you won’t keep one for long either…
“You can’t fake clean,” says Madkins. “You either build trust through hygiene, or you give guests a reason not to come back.”