The service industry is brutally competitive and there is no room for mistakes. Customers demand hygiene, quality food and the best service when they are dining out. In this day and age of social media, one report of unhygienic conditions at your restaurant can spread like wildfire and bring disrepute to your business. It is important to establish a food safety culture at your restaurant and prioritise cleanliness above all.
Here are a few suggestions that could help you establish a culture of food safety and emphasize cleanliness at your restaurant:
Clean and maintain your kitchen equipment
Food can only be as clean as the kitchen it is prepared in. So, if the kitchen and the equipment used to prepare food are not regularly cleaned and maintained, that can severely degrade the quality of food. Ensure proper care to maintaining clean and hygienic conditions in the kitchen and maintain separate equipment for separate kinds of food.
Establish hygiene standards for your staff
Long dirty nails, dishevelled hair that is not covered with a cap or hair net, working while being sick or with infections/allergies, all of the above and more can lead to a massive food safety blunder. It is important to establish hygiene standards for your staff and allow them to work when and only when they meet those standards. Regular supervision and surprise checks can help monitor your staff.
Safe food sourcing
When the raw materials arrive at your restaurant, it is extremely important to check each of the packages thoroughly. Often the food that arrives could be partly rotten or could be stale. If these are served to your customers, they are bound to fall sick. Thereby, monitor the sourcing of your food carefully and only use fresh produce.
Special attention to food allergy protocols
Many people have very specific allergies which if not considered can be deadly for them. Keep the allergic food prep equipment separate and don’t allow your staff to mix it up with other food types. Special attention should be paid to using separate knives, gloves and ingredients while preparing food for those with allergies. Double-check the prep process before sending it out.
Hopefully, the above guidelines will allow you to shape a safer food culture in your restaurant. Let us know if you have more ideas!