“Pizza is a fun food. You get to eat with your hands and sit with your friends and family. Everybody shares, that’s why I enjoy this business.”
-Cyndi Hicks, Rusty’s Pizza Parlor
Cyndi Hicks owns and operates four Rusty’s Pizza Parlor locations in Bakersfield, Calif. About ten years ago, her restaurants handled floor care with brooms and upright vacuums. The motors of her upright vacuums consistently burned out and needed frequent repair, and the brooms left behind debris in the cracks of the tiled floors. Then she visited a pizza convention and learned about the ProVac FS 6 backpack vacuum from ProTeam.
“We talked to everybody at the ProTeam booth and figured out that the vacuum motor was protected from all the debris that was burning out our uprights,” said Hicks. “It also seemed more ergonomic and more comfortable to use than leaning over with an upright.”
Hicks bought one backpack vacuum for each restaurant and never looked back. Her smallest location spans 2,400 square feet and the largest, 7,000 square feet. Employees handle floor care as-needed during the day and each night after the restaurants close. They backpack vacuum the carpeted dining areas and the tile floors in the restrooms, entrances, and back of house.
“The staff likes the fact that it’s on your back and you don’t notice it. The wand is lighter and gets under the tables and around booths much easier than the upright vacuum did,” said Hicks. “Vacuuming first then mopping gets the tile floor much cleaner. The ProVac gets into crevices better, capturing all the small particles than a broom left behind.”
Hicks’s staff is diverse, ranging from employees who have worked for her for 15 to 20 years to younger hires just out of school. Every employee is trained upfront on how to use the backpack vacuums and keep the filters clean. Hicks likes knowing the floors are clean when young children eat in the restaurant and sometimes crawl on the floor.
With three decades of experience working in restaurants and almost 20 years as a restaurant owner, Hicks has learned the importance of cleanliness in running a successful business.
“Even if customers are not actively looking at a restaurant’s cleanliness, it still registers in their minds and makes an impression on them,” said Hicks. “I think they’re always aware of it.”
Watch this video to see the ProVac FS 6 in action.
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