Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose is a thriving, bustling hotbed of technology and industry. The perfect climate and ample opportunity for exciting technology-based careers makes San Jose an ideal spot for restaurateurs to open hip, trendy eateries. If you are planning to open a restaurant in San Jose, it is important to know and understand the guidelines set forth by the California Board of Health, and to adhere to the standards that have been put in place. This is particularly true for the size, placement and overall cleanliness of your restrooms. In order to ensure positive reviews, good word of mouth, and repeat client business, it is essential that you pay attention to the following Bathroom Requirements for San Jose Restaurants.
Restaurants built after 2004 must have a customer restroom facility. If your restaurant location was built prior to January 1, 2004, it is exempt from having to have at least one customer restroom on the premises, unless its area exceeds 20,000 square feet; then, it is required that you provide at least one men’s and one women’s restroom regardless of the establishment’s construction date. Any restaurant location built in 2004 or later is required to have a restroom if there is on-site food consumption. In other words, if your restaurant was built before 2004 and is strictly for takeout orders and there are no tables for in-house dining, your existing facility is not required to provide a restroom for your customers. Once you start a construction project in the bathroom, however, you may lose that privilege.
Restroom location must not be accessible through food preparation area. Any restroom which can only be accessed by walking through the kitchen is not allowed, as this is in violation of health code standards. Per section 114120 of the California Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law, having to access a restroom through the food preparation area of a restaurant is prohibited, as this encourages the spread of airborne bacteria. However, this only pertains to establishments built after January 1, 2004; older restaurants may be exempt, please check with the City and County,
Restrooms must be accessible for customers with disabilities. It is vital that your restaurant’s restrooms are in compliance with ADA guidelines set forth in 2010, which require that all public restrooms be made accessible for patrons with disabilities. If your restaurant’s restrooms are not accessible, you will be required to remodel them in order to adhere to the guidelines. This regulation is in place to ensure that all customers are able to use public facilities with ease regardless of physical limitations.
In order to ensure a pleasant dining experience that your customers will want to repeat and tell their friends and review sites about, it is crucial that you make sure your San Jose restaurant follows the bathroom requirements for San Jose restaurants put in place by the Board of Health. A clean, well-maintained restroom facility goes a long way in preserving the reputation of your eating establishment. Sticking to the restroom codes and making sure your restaurant’s facilities are in good order is the recipe for San Jose restaurant success!