Build A Reputation Of Cleanliness Your Restaurant Can Be Proud Of
Customers might let you get away with bad-tasting food, sure, but they won’t let you get away for running a kitchen that doesn’t meet basic sanitation protocols. Cleanliness and sanitation of the work place should always be on your list of top priorities.
I once read an article on the New York Times that said humans pose a greater risk to food contamination than rats. The article goes,
“Professor Anderson filmed 100 people preparing a meat entree and a salad at home. The subjects were told they were being observed for chicken and meatloaf recipes, but the study was actually about food safety. Of the 100 cooks, fewer than 50 washed their hands before preparing food; 30 failed to clean their cutting boards; 82 undercooked the chicken; 46 undercooked the meatloaf; and 24 didn’t store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (to keep any leaking juices from dripping onto other food).”
This sanitation issue holds the very foundation of your restaurant business and keeps it together. If you can’t keep your restaurant clean, then might as well close up shop before the local government agency shuts you down for good. Here are some tips on how to keep your restaurant clean at all times.
1. Cleaning vs Sanitizing
Cleaning is removing any food particles from a surface, sanitizing is reducing the number of microorganisms down to safe levels. There’s a difference. On the other hand sterilizing is an effective way to clean and sanitize an object. As a restaurant operator it is your responsibility to make sure all your kitchen implements are properly sterilized before and after use.
Any surface, such as a cutting board or mixing bowl, that comes in contact with food needs to be properly cleaned and sanitized…
- after each use.
- anytime you switch to working on another type of food.
- anytime you are interrupted from a task long enough for the tools you are using to become contaminated.
- at least once every four hours if the tool or item is constantly being used.
2. Maintaining a clean dishwasher
A restaurant needs to have at least one dishwasher working in the kitchen. Pots and pans usually go straight to the sink for manual washing–but the dishes, flatware and glassware, they are best left to the dishwasher for cleaning.
According to the National Association of Foodservice Equipment Manufacturers, dishwashers are rated based on how many racks are cleaned in an hour, with an average of 20 dishes per rack. So take note of your average dish count on a busy day before you set out to buy a commercial dishwasher.
Here are some dishwasher cleanliness and sanitation tips:
- Check the dishwasher once a day if it’s still clean.
- Don’t overload the racks. Slide them in correctly and make sure the surfaces are exposed to the spray area of the machine.
- Air dry all items. Place pots and pans, cup and glasses upside down on the drying rack.
- Manage the crew’s operations so the same person doesn’t end up loading the dirty dishes and removing the clean ones from the racks.
3. Proper manual dish washing techniques
Anything that doesn’t go in the dishwasher ends up in the sink. All three sinks should be rinsed, cleaned and sanitized before and after use. Fill the first and second sink with warm water – at least 110 F. The first sink is used for soaking and washing, the second sink for rinsing, and then the third one for sanitizing.
If you’re using a sanitizing product on your equipment, don’t rinse it off. Air dry all equipment.
Here are some manual dish washing tips:
- Wear heavy duty nitrile pot sink gloves while dish washing.
- Check the water temperature from time to time and make sure it stays within the recommended range.
- Drain the rinse water as soon as it becomes cloudy.
- Don’t leave the water running while you’re washing the dishes.
- Instruct your dish washers to clean their hands thoroughly before and after washing.
The same New York Times article goes,
“And to echo the punch line of many a nature documentary, the greatest threat to restaurant sanitation is man: salmonella, for example, is typically initiated or spread through improper hand-washing, food handling or cooking.”
The greatest restaurant marketing approach is through word of mouth, and the best way to do that is to 1) serve your customers great food and 2) maintain a clean and sanitized restaurant at all times. Get these two things right and you basically nailed down the essential elements of what really makes a great restaurant click.