Why are bar & restaurant bathrooms always in such deplorable conditions?

Factual Questions
1

Was in a bar last night in Urbana, OH. Pretty nice place. After downing a few Guinnesses the predictable “urge to go” came upon me.

The bathroom was a stark contrast to the bar… the pipe fittings around the urinal were ugly and pitted, the walls were discolored & dirty, and the sink had no hot water. The ceiling tiles were stained and the floor tiles had seen better days. It even smelled bad.

I find this very typical of bar & restaurant bathrooms. No matter how fancy they are.

Why do bathrooms of eating/drinking establishments have to look like Sunoco gas station bathrooms? Please understand this is not a rant on this particular place. This is an objective inquiry… I have found just about every restaurant/bar bathroom to be in atrocious shape - much worse than any residential bathroom I’ve been in.

Is it that difficult to install quality hardware? Is it cost-prohibitive to clean it a couple times a day?

There must be a reason…

2

  1. Old buildings/limited renovation budgets are spent on the front-of-house aspects.

  2. People are harder on the walls/fixtures of strangers than they are in the home.

  3. Drunks.

  4. It’s hard to close down a bar restroom for cleaning, as there is usually pretty steady traffic (especially during the times when people are most likely to be drunk and sloppy).

  5. Your friends, whom you’d invite into your home, aren’t pigs, but (part of) the general public is. You’d be surprised by what some people think is appropriate behavior (or at least, behavior they can get away with).

  6. Drunks part II:  by which I mean that not only are sloppy drunks who mess up the bathroom sloppier than when they're sober, but drunks who <don't> cause a mess are (at least in the view of the management) less likely to notice/mind the awful conditions than they would be while sober.  Anyone visiting a crowded bar arguably has already figured out that he'll have to to lower his expectations of:  peace and quiet; privacy; personal space; impeccable service; non-smoky surroundings; and clean bathrooms.
3

You know how when you go into a public bathroom and try to pick the least discusting stall?!..thats what dating is like.

4

Most of the places I hang out in have disgusting bathrooms - but they match the bar and the clientele. On the other hand, I have seen some beautiful bathrooms when I have gone to nice restaurants. I was in one that I would have happily traded my apartment for. The Zagat guide even includes a listing of notable restaurant bathrooms in NYC.