Service and safety providers in the restaurant servicing industry often concentrate their attention only on the restaurant building itself. Protecting the restaurant from fire, and making sure it’s clean, safe, and meets health standards should be the main priority. But there is a place outside the restaurant that often requires attention and is overlooked. That is the area where the grease dumpsters are located.

Somewhere in the back of the restaurant parking lot, or perhaps off to the side of the building, you will find a grease dumpster which is a receptacle for leftover grease and oil. This used sludge is transported to the grease dumpster on a daily basis (hopefully!) by individuals who sometimes fail to dump all of this greasy mess into the dumpster. Some may end up on the surrounding asphalt or whatever surface is there. The dumpster may itself have cracks or flaws that allow grease to seep out. Whatever the cause, many grease dumpster corral areas are an unsightly and unsafe mess. Grease is acidic and will eat into the asphalt, which either means expensive repairs or the asphalt will be left to crumble. The greasy ground cover is nasty to walk through and poses a slip-and-fall danger to those who have cause to be in the area. The restaurant is also at risk for penalties from various agencies because of environmental issues caused when rainfall washes the uncontained grease into storm drains or onto surrounding land.

One way to combat this problem is to use a power washer and an alkaline degreaser. If you choose that method though, be careful to follow environmentally safe practices. In other words, don’t wash the grease down a storm drain! The contaminated waste water must be absorbed or contained. Otherwise, both you and the restaurant are subject to heavy fines if a code violation is observed.

Another option is to install a system that catches and absorbs the grease before it reaches the pavement. Omni Containment Systems provides an effective and inexpensive system that does exactly that: the Lane Guard.

Omni Lane Guard

Besides keeping the restaurant clean, safe, and code compliant, maintaining the grease dumpster corral area for the restaurant is a great source of add-on revenue. All it takes is a 5-minute walk out to where the grease dumpster is located. If the area is clean and well kept, then fine, your additional service isn’t needed. But if it’s a ghastly mess like many are, show it to the owner, landlord, or whoever is responsible for maintenance. Or take digital pictures and provide them to the decision maker, along with a proposal.

You are always on the lookout for ways to add to your income. Your client may have an unsolved problem. A walk to the grease dumpster may be an answer to both!