My take on dirty tables in Estonia

Whenever someone asks me why I love living in Estonia, I have nothing but praise to offer: it’s a digitally advanced country, peaceful, with laws that actually work, and a place where bureaucracy feels minimal.

But one day, a friend posed an interesting question: “After all these years, is there really nothing you’d want to change? Loving a place means knowing its imperfections too.”

And then it struck me.

Almost every time I visit a mid-range restaurant in Tallinn—a place where you might spend around 15-20 EUR for a meal with table service—I often find tables cluttered with leftovers, crumbs, and sometimes, even more unpleasant surprises. For instance:

• I once found a diaper under a table, with food debris on top. When I asked a restaurant in Telliskivi to clean it up, I ended up doing it myself.
• At a higher-priced restaurant in Kadriorg, I found napkins with pieces of food on the table. When I asked the waitress to clean it, she simply handed me more napkins to use.
• I visited a terrace area in Noblessner. After waiting in line for a table, I was disappointed to find it soaked with wine, along with the chairs. I had expected that by the time I got to it, the table would at least be clean

So, why do restaurants struggle with something as fundamental as keeping tables clean? It’s not just about whether tables should be clean—that’s a given. The real question is how they’re cleaned, what resources are allocated, and how management views cleanliness as part of the overall customer experience. In Estonia, I’d estimate that 1 out of every 2 restaurants I visit has this problem.

Of course, it’s not just an Estonian issue. In fast food places, it’s common to clear your own table, while high-end spots usually have the luxury of prepping tables between seatings, thanks to reservations. But in mid-range restaurants, there’s this in-between space where expectations aren’t consistently met. So, what’s the real issue here? Is it a lack of awareness, or simply a lack of resources?

My take on why this happens.

From what I’ve seen, the problem often boils down to resources. In Estonia, every euro spent is scrutinized, and that includes restaurants trying to balance rising costs. With VAT rates climbing from 20% to 22% in 2024, and expected to hit 24% by 2025, it’s no surprise that budgets are tigh.

A recent report from ERR showed that fewer people are eating out, driven by rising prices and squeezed household budgets. The Bank of Estonia notes that eating out has become visibly more expensive in early 2024, which means people are dining out less and taking longer between visits to restaurants..

When customer flow slows, every empty seat hurts more, and keeping those seats filled gets even harder if the tables aren’t turned around quickly—or worse, if they aren’t clean when they should be.

The "tip" of the problem isn’t that staff don’t know how to clean; it’s that they’re already stretched too thin. In many places, front-of-house staff, who might otherwise keep tables tidy, often get pulled into the kitchen when things get hectic. With most of the labor focused on cooking and service, which are non-negotiable, cleaning often feels secondary—even though it’s crucial for the customer experience, for our experience.

Imagine a typical setup: three kitchen staff for every one front-of-house cleaner, who often doubles as waitstaff juggling multiple tasks. This imbalance means that during peak times, cleaning slips down the priority list, and tables remain dirty longer than they should, disrupting the flow of service.

Contrast this with places like Nando’s in the UK, where cleaning is built into the service model with dedicated staff for the job, and it’s clear why things run smoother there. But in Estonia, dedicated cleaning roles are rare, partly due to cost. Restaurants run lean operations with fewer staff, and those who are there are often overloaded with tasks. Even Vapiano, which used to have dedicated cleaners, has shifted to spreading these responsibilities among staff to cut down on labor costs.

This issue is amplified by the rising cost of living and inflation, which outpace wage gains for many households. Estonian consumer spending patterns reflect this squeeze—fewer people are visiting restaurants, and those who do are spending less per visit (as per ERR article too). As prices go up, every extra expense feels like a burden.

For restaurants, that means scrutinizing every line item in the budget, and sadly, cleaning isn’t always seen as critical. It’s often one of the first areas where resources get scaled back when times are tough. And it’s not just about hiring more hands; it’s about the whole package—training, managing, and retaining those roles when turnover rates are high.

The problem isn’t a lack of care; it’s a lack of capacity. Kitchens get priority because that’s where the core of the service happens, but this means the dining space—the part customers actually see—can sometimes be neglected.

Why should they solve it?

When managing table cleanliness and overall service, tracking the right metrics can help spot problems early. For many restaurants, revenue per employee per customer is a crucial indicator.

A drop in this figure can signal issues with service quality, including table cleanliness.

Here’s a straightforward table on key metrics I'd myself watch:

So, here’s the thing: when it comes to running a restaurant, especially in Estonia’s mid-range scene, I see tracking the right metrics for cleanliness as having taking a shower for a business. You’ve got to keep an eye on revenue per employee per customer—that’s your go-to metric. If it starts slipping below €30-€50, it’s a warning sign that things might be off track.

Maybe tables aren’t being cleaned fast enough, or service isn’t hitting the mark. It's not only your ingredients, your food. Mostly, if the distribution of your revenue is in-house > food delivery.

Next up, staff-to-customer ratio. For mid-range places, you’re looking at one staff member per 10-15 customers. If you’re short on this, your team is probably juggling too much, and you know what that means—cleaning takes a backseat. And trust me, nothing turns off a guest quicker than a messy table.

Keep tabs on cleanliness feedback too; aim for under 10% negative. More than that, and it’s time to rethink your cleaning game. It's easy to see this on google reviews on the location, believe me.

Then there’s employee cost percentage—you want this between 25-35% of revenue. Too high, and you’re bleeding money; too low, and you’re running your staff ragged, which never ends well. And let’s not forget average spend per customer. If it dips below the €25-€50 mark, dig into why. Is it the food? The service? Or maybe those tables that never quite get wiped down right?

Bottom line: I hope restaurant owners would keep more often those metrics in check.

How to solve it? Here's my advice as a customer

I recently visited Birmingham and Manchester, so I got couple of ideas which I actually got better defined. Some good examples, outside of Estonia

While the tech part is not necessarily my favorite—it’s efficient, but not every restaurant has the budget or the need to go digital just to keep tables clean. Plus, there's something to be said about the human touch when it comes to maintaining a clean place. Apps and digital alerts might help in the process, but they don't replace the direct impact of having someone on the floor dedicated to keeping things tidy - be it a customer or staff.e.

On the other hand, a low budget is often the real barrier. That’s why simpler, more budget-friendly solutions like cross-training staff or implementing self-clean stations can be game-changers. These strategies don’t require significant upfront investment and can be adapted to fit the specific needs of each restaurant. Sure, they are not "fashionable" but at least you keep the place tidy.

Those are more or less the costs for this:

For most mid-range to inexpensive restaurants, I’d lean heavily towards implementing self-service cleaning stations. It’s a practical and low-cost solution that’s already proven effective in many fast-casual settings, and it’s definitely something that could be scaled to serve a broader market.

And honestly, there’s a great business opportunity here, too. Imagine a self-service cleaning station set up as a subscription-based model—restaurants could pay a monthly fee for access to all the necessary supplies and maintenance, tailored to their specific needs.

It’s a simple, scalable concept that could really shake up the industry and offer a cost-effective way for restaurants to keep up with cleanliness standards without overextending their budgets. If someone took this idea and ran with it, you would make many people happy.