WINNER: High’s of Baltimore

High’s continues to upgrade its restroom features and value the importance of sanitation as an influence on in-store sales.

Although restroom cleanliness has always been a well-regarded aspect of convenience store operations, its importance has never been quite so touted as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, post-pandemic and with foodservice implementations expanding rapidly throughout the industry, restroom sanitation remains vital for c-store success. CStore Decisions recognizes High’s of Baltimore for its priority in keeping employees and customers safe in terms of hygiene.

High’s, which has 59 locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware, offers restroom availability to customers in over 90% of its locations. The c-store chain has both unisex restrooms and gender-specific restrooms.

“Our legacy locations have single-use bathrooms, most with two that are gender specific. In our new builds and remodels, we offer multi-use restrooms with two or more stalls,” said Michele Truelove, vice president of operations at High’s.

New Build and Remodel Upgrades

Many of High’s restrooms boast converted or added touch-free sink and soap options, along with air hand dryers in all restrooms. The remodeled stores have undergone wall tile upgrades, floor upgrades and new fixture and dispenser installations.

New restroom builds also include high-efficiency water-flow toilets.

Remodels offer baby changing stations in both men’s and women’s restrooms and hooks on the doors for personal belongings.

Air fresheners and toilet bowl clips to provide a pleasant smell are equipped in all restrooms.

Understanding Sanitation Standards

“Restrooms are checked hourly to ensure they meet our restroom standards. Every four hours the restroom is cleaned ceiling to floor (including) all fixtures. This is supported with a cleaning checklist that details the correct cleaning product to use for each fixture in the restroom,” said Truelove.   

A high-kill-rate sanitizer was used hourly in all restrooms during the pandemic. 

“We already (had a) high-frequency cleaning program in place, and this just helped us assure we were keeping our customers and employees safe,” Truelove continued.

As important as it is to maintain restrooms, informing employees about proper restroom procedures is just as necessary.

At High’s, the new hire process includes restroom cleaning training via computer-based training and on-the-job training. Additionally, the High’s company bulletin is a weekly release that the chain uses to heighten awareness. High’s uses a bathroom cleaning checklist to highlight these responsibilities, which is included in the shift duties checklist.

At the managerial level, district managers and store managers check and report on the restroom status during store walks, and store managers do a “ready for business” assessment at all locations daily. 

Feedback is also reported during restroom evaluations during bi-monthly mystery shops.

“We are partnered with Safe Shop Assured, and one of the protocols for that certification is consistent restroom standards. We mainly do this by ensuring our customers know they will always find a clean restroom during their visit,” said Truelove.

Restrooms Impact Foodservice Success

The condition of a restroom may determine whether a customer plans to purchase a meal from a c-store, as a poorly maintained washroom can equate to overall poor hygiene in a customer’s mind. 

Truelove noted that several nationwide studies have shown customers to use restroom conditions as a gauge in the overall food safety of an establishment. 

“Restroom conditions and employee hygiene are the top two factors that a customer evaluates when considering a foodservice purchase from a c-store. The core c-store customer spends a lot of time in the car, and they look to c-stores for clean restrooms and a fast meal,” she said.  

She elaborated that a store that cares about restroom appearance and cleaning protocols is likely also concerned with having the freshest food offering and first-rate food safety practices.

“On the other hand, a poorly kept restroom could deter a hungry customer from making a foodservice purchase or any purchase at all,” Truelove said.

High’s keeps the importance of restroom sanitation top of mind when it comes to its store sales.

“Though (restroom cleanliness) may not bring a customer into our stores like a promotion does, it keeps our customers coming back,” Truelove said.

Restroom appearance and cleanliness have a large impact on overall in-store sales. It is an indicator of the quality of the store and High’s ability to safely deliver food, according to Truelove.

“Keeping the restroom clean for our customers is just another way we ensure they enjoy their shopping trip and feel safe within our stores. In addition, our customers continue to tell us the importance of clean restrooms; it is an expectation that they have,” said Truelove. 

WINNER: Wally’s

Wally’s offers a touchless restroom experience and retains restroom attendants on staff to maintain its first-rate cleaning standards.

Creating a seamless, comfortable and all-around pleasant customer experience is key for convenience store chains, and Wally’s is no exception, doing so by paying particular attention to its restrooms. CStore Decisions is recognizing Wally’s as a Restroom Award recipient for its dedication to its customers with the design of its restrooms, offering a spacious area and immediate cleaning services.

Wally’s, which operates two locations in Pontiac, Ill., and Fenton, Mo., offers its customers both men’s and women’s restrooms, as well as a family restroom. Within the women’s restroom, there are 17 stalls. One of these stalls has a full-sized commode as well as a child-sized commode, added at the request of Wally’s Chairman Chad Wallis.

“Our guests really love that touch, as well,” said Andy Strom, chief experience officer, Wally’s, referring to the child seat.

The men’s restroom has 13 urinals and 12 stalls.

“I really think you could fit a traditional c-store in our restrooms, so they’re very large and oversized. Obviously, our stores are oversized, so that makes sense,” said Strom.

Indeed, Wally’s locations are large. The Pontiac, Ill., site measures 30,000 square feet, while the Fenton, Mo., store is 36,000 square feet.

Wally’s designed the restrooms to have a colorful wall display in the back of the room to give a playful and fun vibe. The restrooms also have a light tile and a bright and clean atmosphere.

At the entrance to the restrooms, Wally’s added murals in a collaboration with Winnebago. 

“One of the features in our store is, we have this old Winnebago Brave in a retail area that we converted to retail,” said Strom. “So we reached out to Winnebago, and we put these large murals, these big photo murals on your way into the restroom as a really nice immersive experience.”

The murals showcase camping scenes reminiscent of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s eras.

A Touchless Experience

Customers who use Wally’s restrooms will find the experience to be 100% touch-free.

The stalls and urinals in Wally’s restrooms outline the perimeter of the space. In the center of the restrooms are two stations, for a total of 12 handwashing and drying areas. 

Each station has a divider in the middle with three mirrors and a long trough-like sink containing three faucets on either side of the divider. Each soap dispenser, water dispenser and hand dryer are all located in the same fixture at each handwashing spot.

For those who prefer paper towels, that option is also available, as well as hand sanitizer.

“People are kind of blown away by the whole sink. You know, soap dispenser, hand dryer, all happening in one spot. So that’s definitely a key feature,” said Strom.

Additionally, each stall door has a light that changes color based on whether the stall is occupied. If the door is closed, the light turns red; if open and available, the light is green. The changing light is triggered by the door lock.

A Clean M.O.

Wally’s hires employees specifically for the position of restroom attendant. From around 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the restrooms are always staffed, and an overnight crew tends to the washrooms, as well.

“We don’t use any harsh chemicals, so no bleach or anything like that, so you’re not going to get any kind of odors from those cleaning materials,” said Tim Good, director of store operations, Wally’s.

Instead, Wally’s uses an acid-free peroxide cleaner.

Wally’s goal is to clean a stall as soon as a customer exits — to clean every single stall between uses. The floors are cleaned at a minimum of once per hour.

The importance of restroom maintenance is covered in Wally’s orientation materials, no matter the employee’s position.

Private team member restrooms are located in the back, as “nobody really wants to see a chef go in and use the restroom and come out and serve the food that they’re getting ready to eat,” said Good.

Wally’s understands the importance of restroom cleanliness in relation to customer satisfaction. 

“I think clean restrooms are just sort of our M.O. I think it’s part of this new roadside travel experience that we’re creating,” said Strom. “We want our guests to feel welcomed, and obviously, that’s one of the key items on everyone’s checklist when they’re taking a long road trip or when they’re traveling by.”