5 Things to Look for when Selecting a Vent Hood Cleaning Company

When it comes to restaurant operations, a vent hood cleaning company is an extremely important aspect of keeping things running smoothly, keeping costs down, and maintaining a level of quality and service that your customers expect. You wouldn’t buy your produce from a less-than-qualified distributor, so why would you trust a critical part of your restaurant’s operations like your vent hood system to a less-than-qualified service provider? Your kitchen’s vent hood system HAS to be maintained according to NFPA 96 fire codes, so the vendor you select to do these cleanings is just as important as having them done. 

Just like food distributors, not all service vendors are created equally.

Here are 5 essential requirements to look for in when selecting a vent hood cleaning company:

1: NFPA Certified Technicians

To achieve an NFPA certification on your vent hood system it has to be overseen by an NFPA certified technician. There are no exceptions. It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter how good they are, if they aren’t certified, neither is your restaurant – and it can be shut down. Being certified is the absolute most basic requirement of a vent hood cleaning service company.

2: Bonded and Insured

Just like any contractor, you allow doing work in your building, being bonded and insured is a must. You don’t want to be stuck with a bill from a vendor who messes something up and doesn’t carry the insurance to cover it. It’s also important to look at the levels of insurance these contractors carry. They can claim to be “insured” but the amounts of coverage they carry might be insufficient to cover the equipment they are working on.

3: Established and Experienced

Finally, you want to make sure that a company has a good track record of service. You wouldn’t want to be someone’s first customer when it comes to something as important as your vent hood system. Ask your vendor for references and check out their website for testimonials. Good service companies will have no problem providing you with other customers of theirs that will brag about the service they provide.

4: Provides Up-front Pricing, Before and After Pictures

Two pieces of information should stand out to you in your vent hood cleaning program: how much is it going to cost, and was it done right. Any vendor you use should always provide you with up-front pricing for their cleaning service, and documentation of what was done including before and after pictures. These are important details that shouldn’t be overlooked.

5: Establish a Custom Service Schedule

The NFPA is very concise about how often your vent hood needs to be cleaned based on the type of cooking and hour of operation of your business. It’s important to be able to establish a custom schedule based on when YOU need your system cleaned, not when a vendor is available.
At Quest, we know how hard it can be to find the perfect service provider for your business. There are so many options out there, and everyone one of them will tell you that they are better than the other guys. That’s why we take the hassle of finding a vendor off of your plate. We take the time to vet and qualify each of our sub-contractors to ensure that you get only the best service providers at the best cost. At Quest, we have managed hood cleaning programs for thousands of restaurant locations across North America. Our service includes:

  • Scheduling your vent hood cleaning.
  • Reminding your staff of upcoming cleaning appointments
  • Making sure the cleaning is done to NFPA 96 standards
  • Providing detailed reports of the cleaning, along with a list of any parts that were replaced.
  • Scheduling your next cleaning based on the NFPA 96 requirements.
  • One simple invoice for all of your locations.

Contact us today and see how easy it can be to get set up with a professional, certified, bonded, insured, and experienced vent hood cleaning company.

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