The small town of Beulah sits close to Lake Michigan about five hours north of Chicago. In the winter, the population is only a few thousand, but in the summer, Midwestern vacationers flock to the lake, quadrupling the town’s population and the number of customers going in and out of Beulah’s A. Papano’s Pizza location.

A Messy Business

“Running a pizzeria is a pretty messy business,” said Andy Miller who has been with A. Papano’s for over 20 years. “Everyone seems to leave crust behind or big pieces of food debris.”

The messiness of a pizzeria plus high foot traffic during the summer months made it challenging to keep the restaurant clean and inviting. Miller needed a quick and effective cleaning method that would be easy for his mostly college-aged staff to use. He tried upright vacuums with poor results.

“I was blowing through upright vacuums,” said Miller. “They had to be replaced every year and a half to two years. And they didn’t pick up the big debris, so my employees would have to get on their hands and knees to pick up pieces under the booths.”

A Better Method

Searching for a better floor care method, Miller attended Pizza Expo about 15 years ago and learned about the ProTeam ProVac backpack vacuum. It has fewer moving parts than an upright, which means fewer parts to break down or wear out. It also captures large debris seamlessly during routine vacuuming.

The backpack vacuum…empowers everyone to do a really good job.

“With the backpack vacuum, the staff is not lugging a vacuum on the ground and hitting things with it, damaging tables and chairs,” said Miller. “The wand reaches under everything so much easier. It empowers everyone to do a really good job.”

The ProVac FS 6 captures crumbs and other debris.

Miller’s first ProTeam backpack vacuum lasted many years until a power surge damaged it beyond repair. When he replaced it, ProTeam had upgraded the model with a triangular shape and a more comfortable harness.

“The new ProVac FS 6 is more comfortable and easier to use than the previous one,” said Miller. “The harness straps are much better, and it fills up with more dirt.”

The ProVac FS 6

Miller likes that the new harness can be adjusted for a comfortable fit on workers of very different heights and sizes, which is a huge benefit for his diverse and changing staff.

Improved Carpet Longevity

Perhaps most importantly, the investment in a ProTeam backpack vacuum improved the longevity of the restaurant’s carpeting.

“The carpet in the dining room has lasted for 15 years. I get it properly cleaned twice a year, but, before we had the ProTeam vacuum, I replaced it after 5 years,” said Miller. “I have talked to friends who own other A. Papano’s stores, and the ones that don’t use the ProVac have had to replace their carpets more frequently.”

Watch this video to see the ProVac FS 6 in action!