If you need a quick ballpark: professional restaurant cleaning in Pennsylvania typically runs between $150 and $500+ per visit, depending on the size of your space, what’s included, and how often you’re scheduling service. But that range is almost useless without context, so let’s break it down properly.
We’ve been cleaning restaurants across Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Luzerne County for over 10 years. These are the real numbers we see, not what cleaning companies put on their websites to look cheap.
Restaurant Cleaning Costs by Service Type
The single biggest factor in your cost isn’t your restaurant’s square footage, it’s what service you’re actually buying. These are not the same thing, and confusing them is how business owners end up with sticker shock.
| Service Type | Frequency | Typical Cost Range | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly janitorial | Daily / nightly | $150–$350 per visit | Dining room, restrooms, kitchen surfaces, floors, trash |
| Weekly deep clean | Weekly | $300–$600 per visit | All of above + behind equipment, walk-in cooler, floor drains |
| Monthly deep clean | Monthly | $500–$1,200 per visit | Full kitchen breakdown, hood system exterior, grease traps, tile scrubbing |
| Hood cleaning | Quarterly / semi-annual | $300–$600 per hood | Hood, filters, ductwork, required by PA fire code |
| Carpet / floor care | As needed | $0.15–$0.40 per sq ft | Extraction, stripping, waxing depending on floor type |
What Affects Your Specific Price
Restaurant Size
Most commercial cleaning companies price by square footage for recurring service, typically $0.12 to $0.40 per square foot. A 2,000 sq ft restaurant with a medium-sized kitchen will land very differently than a 6,000 sq ft full-service spot with a large prep kitchen and multiple dining rooms.
Kitchen Volume and Grease Load
This is the one most restaurant owners don’t think about. A high-volume kitchen running fryers all day generates significantly more grease buildup than a lighter-use kitchen. More grease means more labor, more chemical cost, and more time. High-volume restaurants almost always pay more per visit than their square footage alone would suggest.
Frequency of Service
Counter-intuitively, more frequent cleaning often costs less per visit. A restaurant cleaned nightly is easier (and faster) to clean than one that’s been running for a week between cleans. If you’re currently scheduling weekly service and wondering why it’s expensive, this might be why.
Local vs. National Cleaning Company
National franchise cleaning companies carry overhead that gets passed to you, franchise fees, corporate compliance costs, national ad spend. A local company like ours doesn’t have any of that. Most of our restaurant clients in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area save 15–25% compared to what they were paying national chains, without any drop in quality.
Current Condition of the Restaurant
If a restaurant hasn’t had professional cleaning in a while, the first visit almost always costs more. Getting a neglected kitchen up to standard takes significantly more labor than maintaining one that’s already clean. Don’t let a quote based on the first visit scare you, ongoing service will be lower.
What Should Be Included in Restaurant Cleaning (And What Often Isn’t)
Not every cleaning company includes the same things in their standard service. Always ask before signing. Here’s what you should expect from a quality provider:
Front of House (Standard)
- Tables, chairs, and booth seating wiped and sanitized
- Host stand and POS terminals sanitized
- Floors swept and mopped
- Restrooms cleaned, disinfected, and restocked
- Trash emptied and liners replaced
- Door handles and high-touch surfaces sanitized
Back of House (Standard)
- Food prep surfaces wiped and sanitized
- Stovetop, fryer exteriors, and grill area degreased
- Kitchen floors swept and mopped
- Three-compartment sink area cleaned
- Trash and grease receptacles emptied
Common Extras (Usually Separate Cost)
- Walk-in cooler and freezer deep clean
- Behind and under equipment cleaning
- Floor drain cleaning and enzyme treatment
- Hood and filter cleaning (requires separate vendor in most cases)
- Oven interior deep clean
- Tile grout scrubbing
Why the Cheapest Bid Is Usually the Most Expensive Decision
We see this play out constantly with restaurants in northeastern Pennsylvania. A business owner gets three bids, $180, $250, and $320 per visit. They go with $180. Six months later they’re calling us to fix the mess the low-cost company left behind and re-clean a kitchen that never really got clean in the first place.
A bid that’s significantly below market rate usually means one of three things: they’re cutting corners on chemicals, they’re rushing through faster than the job requires, or they’re planning to raise the price once you’ve signed a contract. Ask specifically what’s included, how long the service takes, and what cleaning products they use before making a decision based on price alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does restaurant cleaning cost per square foot?
For recurring janitorial service, most Pennsylvania restaurants pay between $0.12 and $0.40 per square foot per visit. The range is wide because it depends heavily on kitchen volume, grease load, and what’s included. A 3,000 sq ft restaurant typically lands between $150 and $350 for nightly cleaning service.
How often should a restaurant be professionally cleaned?
Most full-service restaurants need nightly or at minimum 3-4x per week professional cleaning for front and back of house. Deep kitchen cleaning should happen at least monthly. Hood cleaning is required by Pennsylvania fire code quarterly or semi-annually depending on cooking volume.
Is restaurant cleaning tax deductible?
Yes, professional cleaning services for a business are generally a deductible operating expense. Consult your accountant for specifics on your situation, but this is a standard business expense in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Can I get a cleaning company to do just monthly deep cleans?
Absolutely. Many of our restaurant clients in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area handle daily and weekly cleaning with their own staff and bring us in monthly for the deep work, hood system exteriors, walk-in coolers, floor scrubbing, equipment pull-outs. You don’t need to commit to nightly service to work with us.
How do I get an accurate quote for my restaurant?
The most accurate way is a walkthrough. Any legitimate cleaning company should be willing to visit your restaurant, assess the space, and give you a specific quote based on your actual kitchen, dining room, and scope of service, not a generic per-square-foot estimate off a website. We do free walkthroughs for restaurants throughout Luzerne County and the surrounding area.
Need Restaurant Cleaning in Pennsylvania?
We serve restaurants across Scranton. Wilkes-Barre. Kingston, Pittston, and the greater Luzerne County area. Get a free quote today.