Why Restocking Restrooms Might Be Your Highest-ROI Facility Decision

Picture a visitor walking into a stall with no toilet paper left, or a hand towel dispenser with no paper in sight. It's a small moment, but according to a recent Cascades survey of 2,000 Americans and Canadians, it's rarely a small deal: more than three out of four respondents say a poor restroom experience triggers at least one negative reaction toward the venue or event where it happened.

What Visitors Actually Notice in a Public Restroom

It's tempting to assume complaints are about outdated fixtures or décor. The data says otherwise. 64% of respondents name a lack of toilet paper, hand towels, or soap as one of their top frustrations in a public restroom, and that number climbs to 73% among women.

That's good news, in a way. Unlike a renovation or redesign, a supply shortage is a solvable day-to-day operations problem, not a capital expense.

The Real Cost of a Restroom Gone Wrong

The consequences of a bad restroom experience rarely stay behind the door. Respondents who had a negative encounter reported a range of follow-on behaviors:

• Word spreads: roughly 1 in 3 told friends and family or posted about it online
• Spending drops: 1 in 5 cut back on food or beverage purchases during the same visit
• Loyalty erodes: 1 in 5 avoided returning to the venue altogether, a share that jumps to 1 in 4 at convention centres
• Visits get cut short: 1 in 6 left earlier than planned, rising to 1 in 4 at festivals

Taken together, these numbers connect restroom upkeep directly to reputation, on-site revenue, and how long, and often, people choose to come back.

Choosing Equipment That Keeps Up With Demand

Keeping restrooms stocked is the single highest-impact step a venue can take to protect the visitor experience, whether the goal is fixing a current problem or making the case to leadership for better equipment.

Format matters too: 68% of respondents say they prefer paper over air dryers for drying their hands, viewing it as more hygienic, faster, and more effective. High-capacity dispensers also cut down on how often staff need to intervene, which matters most exactly when traffic peaks.

Two examples: the Cascades PRO Select® Universal Jumbo Roll Bath Tissue (B140 – Flanagan product: 552174) holds 1,000 ft per roll, stretching the time between refills, while the Cascades PRO Tandem® Mechanical Roll Hand Towel Dispenser (C340 – Flanagan product: 622055) has a see-through window so staff can spot a near-empty unit before it becomes an empty one.

 
The Takeaway

Most venue operators underestimate how much restroom conditions shape overall visitor perception. The upside: the single biggest irritant is also one of the easiest to fix, it just takes consistent restocking and the right equipment to support it.

Cascades PRO® manufactures products for high-traffic public spaces. Get in touch to see what would work for your facility.

Source: Cascades, Reputation and Consumption in Public Spaces: The Impact of the Restroom Experience, 2,000 respondents (1,500 U.S. / 500 Canada), April 2026.