Majority of customers want sanitising stations to become permanent in hospitality

Most consumers want to see hand sanitising station become a permanent feature in hospitality venues, a new study shows.

A survey of 500 UK adults by KAM Media on behalf of Food Alert found that two in three people agreed hospitality hygiene standards have become more important to them since the pandemic began.

Some 69% wanted hand sanitising stations to become a permanent feature, while more than half wanted venues to have ‘extreme hygiene measures' clearly in place.

Respondents said food hygiene ratings should be clearly visible in venues, with 49% of consumers admitting to having a ‘one strike and you're out' policy when it came to bad hygiene standards.

Those in the 18-34-year-old age group were 42% more likely to check food hygiene ratings when visiting a hospitality venue than those over the age of 34. Younger consumers were also 84% more likely to check hygiene ratings when ordering delivery.

The report said customers in the 18-34-year-old group were more ‘rating aware' across various channels and tended to used food hygiene ratings to sort venues when deciding where to go.

Mike Williams, operations director at Food Alert, said: "As we emerge from the pandemic it's clear that consumer hygiene awareness has heightened and shows no sign of waning. Those venues that can prove they operate the highest levels of hygiene and food safety will be the ones to win trust and enjoy strong relationships with their customers and build sustainable businesses going forward."

Blake Gladman, strategy and insights director at KAM, added: "Covid-19 has catapulted hygiene to the top of consumers' minds. It's now an absolutely key consideration when deciding which venues to visit and where to avoid. This heightened awareness means that consumers are more ‘ratings aware' and also incredibly unforgiving when standards fall; if a venue falls short of a customer's hygiene expectations just once they risk losing that customer for good.

"This research shows that there is now no room for error. Venues simply will not prosper if they fail to get the fundamentals right and meet the increased expectations of consumers on food hygiene and cleanliness."

For more information or to download the report, click here.

Image: Chaz Bharj / Shutterstock