![\"Revitalized](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-TECOLOTE-BATHROOM-02.jpg\")
Revitalized bathroom at Tecolote Shores (Courtesy of Chad Kaufman\/Public Restroom Company)<\/p>\nAmerica\u2019s best restroom? It\u2019s an honorific that America\u2019s Finest City could snag this year.<\/p>\n
As odd as it seems, there is a yearly contest to vie for the honor of the country\u2019s best public restroom. And San Diego\u2019s rebuilt Tecolote Shores south bathroom along Mission Bay is one of nine finalists. Voting ends Friday.<\/p>\n
The finalists this year are a mix of public restrooms in parks as well as public restrooms in private businesses such as restaurants. They were selected on five criteria: cleanliness, visual appeal, innovation, functionality and unique design elements.<\/p>\n
The competition in 2025 includes a restaurant in Dallas, hotels in Utah and New Hampshire, and a barn-themed bathroom at a Kansas shoe store. The two other public park bathrooms jockeying to win are in Minnesota and Colorado.<\/p>\n
Christiny Betsch, marketing manager at Cintas, which is hosting the contest, said Tuesday that the entrants are \u201call pretty different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some great innovation going on,\u201d she said, noting restroom functionality and unique designs.<\/p>\n
Revitalized bathroom at Tecolote Shores (Courtesy of Chad Kaufman\/Public Restroom Company)<\/p>\n
The description of Tecolote Shores on the contest website notes it is \u201cdesigned for functionality and coastal charm.\u201d Among the highlights are its eight single-occupancy all-gender restrooms and two big family restrooms accessible to disabled users.<\/p>\n
The website also notes that the butterfly roof and blue accents complement the block walls, \u201cblending seamlessly with the park\u2019s architecture and capturing that classic San Diego beach vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The winner gets a couple of prizes, including $2,500 in facility services or restroom cleaning from Cintas. Plus bragging rights.<\/p>\n
Chad Kaufman\u2019s Public Restroom Company designed and built the Tecolote Shores south restroom \u2014 pre-fabricated in Nevada \u2014 and as the company does for public restrooms across the country. He\u2019s the one who nominated the Tecolote Shores facility for this year\u2019s contest.<\/p>\n
He isn\u2019t intimidated by those other fancy facilities, with their shock of black-and-white tile or a pink Victorian vibes. That, he said, is because COVID-19 shutdowns renewed people\u2019s appreciation for outside spaces and public parks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what was more important at public parks was park restrooms \u2014 a clean park restroom,\u201d Kaufman said. \u201cSo I feel like if I have to compete with a cutesy little themed restroom in a restaurant or some sort of venue, I feel like we can hold our own.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that the Tecolote Shores building boasts single-occupant all-gender bathrooms, which are just single toilets each in a tiny private room. The bathroom sinks are on the outside of the building, which lends to safety, he said. Kaufman says the tiny rooms are the way of the future for public restrooms.<\/p>\n
According to the city of San Diego, the old bathroom was demolished, and the rebuild was completed in fall 2023. The construction cost was $1.3 million, and it was part of a revamping of seven projects along Tecolote Shores (north and south), including new playgrounds.<\/p>\n
Maybe the appreciation for the Tecolote Shores bathroom shouldn\u2019t be all that much of a surprise. In 2023, renovation of the north playground at Tecolote Shores park won an Orchid<\/a> from the San Diego Architectural Foundation.<\/p>\n A San Diego site has been in the running for the best restroom before. Last year, funky floor-to-ceiling mirrors might have helped secure Little Italy\u2019s Morning Glory restaurant a spot as a contest finalist<\/a>.<\/p>\n