The restaurant business is so fiercely competitive that a dining establishment simply cannot afford a blemish by making an error in the cooking, handling, or storage of food. One sick customer or a mention in the local newspaper about an unfavorable inspection and your reputation is, excuse the pun, “cooked.”
“It’s not work if it’s routine” is a motto I have always followed. The safety and hygiene policies everyone should use when working in the food service industry should be so ingrained that they are simple routines. As a matter of standard practice it should feel strange not to use your thermometer to check the temperature of chicken as it leaves the rotisserie. It should be uncomfortable to not sanitize the prep areas after each task. Practice the steps over and over and over. Employees must be properly trained and certified.
- Clean hands.
- Gloves, replaced often.
- Sanitize.
- Check the temperature: heat for cooking, cold for storage.
- Proper sealing of stored food.
- Label everything with dates and times.
Do it over and over until it becomes routine and remember that visual reminders and easy access to the right tools are important.
Reminders: “Employees Must Wash Hands” – “Sanitize” – Temperature guides like the one below. These are all critical.
Tools: All employees should carry a thermometer and know how to use it. Red sanitizing solution buckets should be strategically located and refreshed often. Gloves! An ample supply in all sizes. A good source for information is https://www.foodsafety.gov/
We carry all the tools you need to make sure everyone follows the rules everyone stays healthy.
