TIERRA VERDE, Fla. — A Bay area restaurant is taking a bottom-up approach when it comes to sanitizing their business, and they’re doing it with the help of a footwear sanitizing station from a company based right here in our area.

Island Grille and Raw Bar owners Colleen and Bob Mueller are taking cleanliness a step further than other businesses by installing the device to help customers feel safe dining with them.

“It’s just another layer that helps,” Bob told us. “So if by chance somebody walks through an area and something ends up on the floor, we don’t want someone walking in and bringing a bacteria into the restaurant.”

The couple said this was a measure they couldn’t afford not to add to their growing list of sanitizing methods. They said so far customers are more curious than anything. 

But just how do the footwear sanitizing stations, manufactured by Patho3Gen Solutions in St. Petersburg, work?

“You walk up to the unit, you step on it. It says 'ready' and it will go to 'wait'," said Scott Beal, COO of Patho3Gen Solutions. "And when you’re done in eight seconds it beeps and you have eliminated up to 99.999 percent of everything that’s on your shoes."

Beal went on to explain their extensively researched technology uses UVC light and ozone. The company made the device with hospitals in mind but they say the need for the product has expanded far beyond that.

“We have restaurants as customers," he said. "We’re talking to hotels, sports venues, food processing plants closing down because their employees are infected,” said Beal.

Patho3Gen Solutions recommends businesses put those footwear-sanitizing stations near every entrance, exit, and high foot-traffic area.

They also told us they’re exploring the possibility of making a version of the product for people to use at home.