CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A Texas convenience store chain whose cartoon mascot is a bucktoothed beaver wearing a baseball cap is all business in its quest to capture the crown in Cintas' 2012 America's Best Restroom contest.
"Buc-ee's came out of the gate strong but with a month left to vote this is still anyone's game," said Cintas senior marketing manager John Engel. "This year's frontrunners have been steadily closing in on Buc-ee's lead as fans have stepped up in these last few weeks of online voting to show support for their favorite finalist," he added.
Buc-ee's enjoyed a comfortable advantage during the first month of voting, but momentum is shifting as the contest enters the home stretch. Two contestants from the East Coast and Midwest, Mie N Yu Restaurant in Washington, D.C., and Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago are challenging that lead while the remaining seven finalists are not far behind.
Separately, in the recent 2012 CSP-Service Intelligence mystery shop, Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's General Stores Inc. took the top spot in the restroom category (see Related Content below for coverage).
The complete field of finalists in Cintas' 2012 America's Best Restroom contest includes:
- Buc-ee's, New Braunfels, Texas (see Related Content below for previous CSP Daily Newscoverage of Buc-ee's).
- Da Marino Ristorante Italiano, New York.
- Gitane Restaurant, San Francisco.
- Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, Calif.
- Lane Stadium/Worsham Field at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
- Liberty Market, Gilbert, Ariz.
- Mie N Yu Restaurant, Washington.
- Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago.
- Vanity Nightclub, Las Vegas.
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
The public can vote for their top pick online through October 26 at www.bestrestroom.com.
The contest's site takes visitors on a photographic tour of each facility and then encourages them to cast their vote for this year's King of the Throne. The winner of the 11th Annual Cintas' America's Best Restroom Contest will be revealed during a nationally publicized media event this fall, and both the winner and runner-up will secure a place in Cintas' Best Restroom Hall of Fame.
Casey's General Stores cleaned up a second year straight by edging out Kwik Trip to claim the top spot for cleanest restrooms in this year's CSP-Service Intelligence Mystery Shop study.
Based in Cincinnati, Cintas provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services and document management services for more than 900,000 businesses.
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