Just throwing it out as a restaurant owner - there’s not a lot of people that do this even though its usually required by fire codes. I had to call around multiple places before we finally found someone in the beginning. That’s a good thing though because you can probably get business pretty easily.

• Expect to work unfavorable hours when restaurants are closed. Nights and weekends.
• Don’t leave a massive mess. It’s a messy job, but clean up after yourself. Leave it how you’d want your mom or dad to come in to find it afterward. You’d be shocked just how far that will get you in positive word of mouth.
• Be proactive with planning. I forget to schedule it all the time and you can get additional steady revenue by just reaching out to remind people to schedule it.
• Some places don’t want you to use their water. I don’t know why. Most providers will bring a water tank. If you don’t want to buy a tank, make sure you can ask if you can use their water and where the access points are.
• Do what you say you’re going to do. Show up when you say you’re going to show up. This puts you ahead of 90% of the competition (and the same goes for any contracting service).
• Expect people to jerk you around over payment, especially if you’re young. We always pay same-day, but we are the exception - not the rule. Get signed quotes upfront that spell out payment expectations.
• Get insurance. Restaurant hood systems include automatic fire systems with some pulleys and pins in the hood framework. If you were to set one of those off cleaning, its thousands of dollars and days of lost revenue for them to reset. They’ll almost certainly be going after you for it.

Hood cleaning business owner here…follow everything the first guy said. I live and operate my business in Hawaii - I started in 2021, mid-pandemic with no accounts and competition of about 4 other larger companies. Within 6 months I grew to 55 accounts; servicing most of them every 3 months. To add to what the other commenter said:

When taking a call from a prospective client I always set expectations. What type of service I provide and what and how I do things: i.e. before and after pictures, inspection report, sticker on hood showing maintenance was completed. I am completely transparent and offer my insurance and a completed W-9 without them even asking. I also work around their schedule as much as possible. So yes, nights and weekends are majority of our jobs.

Be professional but not a pushover either. You will take some time to learn pricing for your area/region. You will underbid jobs. You will wonder “why did I decide to do this?” Hahaha. But once you get some experience under your belt, it’ll become repetitive and almost second nature. Some owners will balk at prices that you estimate, that’s ok and once you get that experience and confidence in your work - know that you can politely walk away from those customers and they will call you in a few weeks when they can’t find another company to clean. As said before, leave the kitchen as clean as or better than you found it. Take pictures and document EVERYTHING. I’d rather have proof of something than just my word saying something was or wasn’t.

I’ve never had an issue with customers not wanting me to use their water but i have had to get creative with water sources. There’s not always a spigot or faucet available so water source (300 gal tote) might be a good idea.

Do your research first your state on how to set up an LLC or however you decide to structure your business and file all the necessary paperwork (that’s a whole other convo but a necessary one) and yes, definitely get insurance. Some customers require certain amounts and so find a business insurance service that has brokers that find policies for what you need. Expect to pay a few grand annually. I wouldn’t spend money on the school. I didn’t actually. I got my experience hands on. There’s one or two decent vids on YouTube about hood cleaning from powerwash dot com but most of your experience will come from hands on learning and getting dirty. I am always incorporating new ideas that my guys and I talk about in the job and our process has drastically changed from when I first began so always be willing to adapt and try new things.

And set up an invoicing/accounting system and take credit card/ACH payments electronically if possible. I declined for the first year to do electronic and was cashing checks - I spent as much time at the bank as I did cleaning hoods because i was being cheap and refused to pay the fees but I’d rather now pay the fees and have cash flow than not.

There’s a lot more to it. I’m entering my 3rd year of business and am still learning and refining but it is a very lucrative business as long as you are doing it right. Keep integrity and morality at the forefront of your business and the customers will see your sincerity (a lot of -ity’s huh?) but that is what will help you attract, keep and grow your customer base. If you have any questions feel free to message me directly. Aloha! 🤙