Restaurateurs know that staying in business and pleasing customers means serving delicious food options and keeping the facility safe and clean. Whether you are making street tacos from a cart or you operate a full restaurant with fryers and all, it’s important to have the right protocols in place behind the scenes so that customers want to come back. Restaurant owners know that one small slip up can become a major disaster. Let’s check out the hacks that great eateries use to ensure customers are safe and satisfied.
Invest in Commercial Cleaning—At Least Sometimes
Your staff members are probably really good at tidying things up at the end of a hard work day. But the pressures of running a busy restaurant can mean that some things get overlooked in daily cleaning protocols. Regular commercial cleaning done after hours ensures that everything from the drain pipes to the ventilation system is clean and up to code.
Outsourcing to cleaning professionals who have the skills and tools—more than just elbow grease, can ensure that your bathrooms are sparkling and your kitchen won’t attract any unsightly pests. These pros know exactly how to cut through grease buildup, clean windows, and more. They become partners in your business because they can do what your employees cannot, which is focus fully on cleaning every corner and crevice.
Cooking Oil Management Challenges
Behind the scenes in the kitchen, many restaurants have deep fryers that require regular maintenance and clean oil. Managing these fryers is crucial. While daily filtering and topping off can keep the kitchen running in a pinch, it’s also important to have good cooking oil management systems in place. Oil quality can affect how your food tastes and even the safety of your kitchen.
A good oil management plan can help reduce the risk of burns, spills, and even slips. Oil management also helps determine when to replace oil, how to dispose of it, and who to call for refills. With a good system in place, restaurants can even help reduce waste and ensure that flavor quality is consistent every time someone eats at your venue.
Create a Culture of Food Safety
Food safety is not just the kitchen’s responsibility. Everyone who works for you should understand how to keep food from causing people harm. No one wants to have to shut down because undercooked meat caused an outbreak of E.Coli. Line cooks, host staff, bussers, and even wait staff should all know how to handle the food being served to customers.
Make sure your training includes everything from proper handwashing to what temperature food needs to be stored at. It’s also important to throw away food items that are past the expiration date even if it’s something you might normally still eat at home. Model good behavior to your employees and help hold them accountable in their work. These good habits will help protect the people who eat your food instead of sending them running to the ER.
Cleaning Tools for a Safer Kitchen
In between professional cleans, your staff need to know how to tidy things up. The things you can see like trays, dishes, and prep tools are easier to handle. It’s those spots behind shelves and under the prep stations that are probably at a greater risk of collecting grease and grime.
It’s important to keep things clean in part for food safety, but also so that your equipment stays running in top shape. Look for areas that are prone to grease buildup, collect food residue, and even rust over time. These things can impact how machines function long term. Use the right chemicals for getting everything disinfected and keep them stored safely away from food items as a best practice.
Watch out for Cross Contamination
Your lettuce and raw chicken should not be prepped on the same station. One way to prevent uncooked meats from contaminating your fresh veggies is to have separate work areas and different staff members managing them. It’s also good to have a handwashing station in proximity to the raw foods to make it easier for people to wash before and after handling food.
Other ways to prevent contamination is to use distinct containers for your uncooked foods versus your fresh produce and cooked items. This can lower the risk of accidentally filling a container that had raw shrimp in it with fresh cut tomatoes or cooked steak.
Cleanliness certainly impacts how customers perceive your business and can affect your success long term. When people come in, are they noticing how great the food is and how welcoming your staff members are, or are they running home sick wondering if it was something they ate?
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