I try and get it before they are open. They let me in 1/2 hour before they open to the public.Which isn’t giving me enough time to finish all the windows. Maybe soon, as I get faster at this. I thought about the skipping the window, if I have to sit around waiting for to long. And yes, it is a weekly clean.
Yeah but you have enough time to do the favored seats then worth your way toward the unfavored seats.
I refined my technique around a Denny’s open 24/7. You learn which are the favorite seats and you learn the best time to get there. Every window, every store, and every restaurant has a pattern. Traffic patterns, time patterns, best way to fan etc.
7 Likes
I concur with above said statement, plus you can only wait for so long when someone chews each bit 32x, skip that window until next time…
Most of our restaurant customers actually require that we clean in the morning before they open for business. A few give us the option to come during their slow time between 2pm-4pm. A window may get skipped now and then, it’s not the end of the world.
If the customer makes it into a big deal, politely explain to the owner/manager that the price you charge is under the assumption that you will have immediate access to all windows. If they want you to wait around all day while someone finishes their meal, tell them you’ll gladly start charging by the minute instead of for a flat rate.
2 Likes
i clean a starbucks every 4 weeks, i knelt down to get a window next to and old fellow and he said (grumpily) “not really a good time for that is it” i replied “there is never a good time at starbucks”
6 Likes
So true. I drink coffee at Starbucks and they are ALWAYS busy. That’s why I would NEVER take them on as a customer!
Outsides only sure. No … on second thought not even outside only.
2 Likes
Just curious, when you said that to the old crack pot was it with a my apologies tone in your voice or more of a F**k Off tone? HaHa
1 Like
I’ve cleaned a Starbucks for a few years for n old boss
Always busy line ya said. Always just did outsides an what ever I could on insides sometimes I would do nothing in the inside
Just keep em clean the best you possably can. They get it no one ever said anything to me. It’s common sense
The Lone wolf " Panera Bread"
Hurry he went to take a piss
5 Likes
Kind of a age old question… it sucks I know it takes a while to figure out what works on your route.I stopped worrying about the occasional missed window a long time ago.My advice is to get out early as you can on restaurants heavy days.
2 Likes
Did you get their business directly or through a NSP?
I have never solicited a Starbucks because since they’re so damn big and “corporate owned”, I always kind of assumed they have a NSP who handles everything and then doles out all the subcontracting work.
I have a couple and i got the first one by going in. Its unusually big with a lot of glass. The second was a referral from the first store.
I learned recently from a reliable source that if it is under 12’, they have employees clean them, aka no one cleans them. I go to Starbucks daily and every one, without exception, has utterly filthy windows. They’re a tough nut to crack. So i move on.
The nice part though is they pay at store level at time of service.
2 Likes
Very interesting. I’m sure the specifics differ from one area to the next but I might have to stop into a few and see what the deal is in my city. Don’t you love hearing, “Our employees clean them” when it’s painfully obvious nobody has cleaned the windows in years? Furthermore, don’t you love places that charge $6.00 for a coffee and always have a never ending line of willing customers wrapped around the building, but they somehow can’t afford to have their windows properly and professionally cleaned every few weeks?
3 Likes
I got the windows because we also sanitize the play area inside the place. I asked them who was doing the windows, because they looked horrible. Took the job from one of the big guys around here.
Hijacking thread just a little more,
Many Sbx in my area leave business cards of their store managers and District managers at the little stirring station for the taking.
I’ve multiple times collected many cards and emailed estimates, with no response from anyone.
As far as busy restaurants, one of them has to be the lunch time slot if you have a full day of them. You aren’t going to take a break from 12-2:30. So " claiming your space" helps, either with some hucks on the tables up next or your extension pole.
Also, customers, more often than you might think, will ask if you want them to move. This happened twice already this week to me and they were really happy to do it! Depending on the situation, try taking them up on it.
One guy said, “I can’t do much but i can move.”
2 Likes
perhaps more of a matter of fact but perhaps leaning to the apologetic with a little chuckle at the end
i went in to every one of the 6 in town, and the 5th one was interested but she said she needed to ask the district manager. about a month later i got a call from a different starbucks to come do their service and i said “does this mean that the district manager approved? the other manager at the X store said she was going to ask” she replied )i didn’t ask, i just told the DM ‘i’m getting a window cleaner’"
that was the crack though because i went back to the other stores and said “we started cleaning the windows at the starbucks at X, would you like a quote for your windows” we ended up getting 4 of the 6 in town, the other two never get back to me or the building owner takes care of it.
they have been some of our best customer, they never comment about the weather, they always pay cash (sometimes they pay a $100 bill in 5’s 
) and it hasn’t been too hard to work around the customers.
4 Likes
download phone games
I work by the same principles as the veterans. ALWAYS hit the insides first and the more occupied ones. 95% of the time if I miss a window or three but tried in good faith to do them if I could, I won’t adjust the price.
3 Likes
Agreed !
Yeah I’m pretty liberal with calling people out for this.
“Our employees clean the windows here”
“Hmmmmm it must have been a good while cause they look like they need some attention. Would you like to see what they look like with a professional cleaning?”
1 Like
