As we all know, it wasn't long ago that restaurants were busy serving customers. Of course, food safety has been a part of the practice, but it may not be the first thing people think today.
A big change happened when the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, which completely changed the world of restaurants as we know it. All restaurants have been closed to prevent the pandemic from spreading. And only take-out services were allowed. Six weeks after the containment / closure, the restaurants were allowed to reopen, but with special requirements and instructions. And restaurants had to adapt to the necessary social distancing practices.
This pandemic situation has created a concern many share for their health without knowing whether it is now safe to order take-out or eat-in at the restaurants they visited prior to the pandemic.
In the pandemic, it is imperative that restaurants take greater account of food safety.
All food businesses are required to protect public health by complying with food safety regulations. According to the World Health Organization, there is so far no evidence of Covid-19 transmission through food or food packaging. However, coronavirus can survive on objects or surfaces. This is one of the many reasons why it is important to make sure your restaurant is as clean and safe as possible for your customers and employees.
Your customers are the heart of your business and the good news is that they want to guide you through this difficult time of social distancing. Communicating your food safety practices clearly and frequently will make them feel more secure ordering your meals from you.
Not only do you need to reassure your customers that you are doing everything you can to keep them safe, but you also need to make sure your employees feel safe at work. Your team needs to know they can rely on you to prioritize and manage their health during this crisis.
There is no question that doubling food safety will help limit the spread of disease. But it also makes social distancing a little less difficult for their community when they can still expect to eat at their favorite restaurants.
7 Food Safety Tips Restaurants Should Implement Now
1. Send the staff home if they have symptoms
Food safety starts with the people who prepare and serve meals. You need to lead by example if your employees are to take the pandemic seriously. If any of your employees have symptoms of a cold, send them home. Also, check the recommendations from the Ministry of Health.
You can offer sick leave to your employees if your restaurant can.
You also need to make sure your employees know where to access Covid-19 information.
2. Make hand washing mandatory
Forget about the extra hand washing. Now is the time to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds in various situations, including:
When the staff arrives at your restaurant
They prepare between each order
After touching common surfaces
After a meal or a smoke break
After bathroom breaks
After dealing with money
After cleaning the restaurant when they leave for the day
Fill your restaurant's hand washing stations with soap and make sure there are hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol available in different spots on the front and back of the house. Publish hand washing information posters and verbally remind staff every day that you hope everyone will improve their hand washing efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
3. Limit your food handling
Personal hygiene is important to protect yourself from the coronavirus. However, you can do a little more by limiting the number of people handling food and food packaging in your restaurant. You may need to redesign your kitchen line flow, if possible, so that fewer staff are involved in meal preparation as long as you keep handling raw and cooked foods separately. Make sure the grocers are well trained in food safety tips and procedures. Perhaps now is the time to review what you learned when your employees received food handling training that includes personal hygiene, hygiene, food safety, and food temperature.
4. Clean and then clean again
Before, during, and after your shifts, now is the time to step up your cleaning game. The exact survival time of the coronavirus on surfaces has not yet been confirmed. You should therefore clean the counters frequently and clean cookware, plates, utensils and touch-sensitive surfaces such as kitchen handles. Door.
5. Provide information and protection to people
Restaurant owners can take several steps to protect their delivery drivers from contact with the coronavirus. Start by describing delivery instructions at the time a customer places their order online or over the phone. Many restaurants have started making contactless deliveries to accommodate social distancing. Thanks to the contactless deposit, the customer pays in advance and the driver leaves the grocery package on the door so the two parties don't interact. Since customers can place these orders online and request a contactless deposit, this provides another layer of protection between your employees or drivers and the public. You should make sure that you are offering online ordering offers and new shipping methods on your website and social media channels. Make sure the staff who receive food orders are aware of all contactless instructions and share what is available to customers. If you don't add your own online ordering system and delivery fleet and instead work with a third-party delivery app with a delivery app like Vuba vuba, they have likely already implemented it. Precautions. Find out what measures they are taking so that you, too, can pass them on to customers. Opt for contactless payments over the phone with cardless transactions, through your website, or through a touch-enabled payment terminal.
6. Handle packages properly
Inevitably, you and your restaurant staff need to touch food packaging to fulfill orders and you need to work together to do so safely. Maintain social distance by avoiding distributing packages between them. Instead, put the item on a table, and then walk away so the other person can safely grab it.
7. Be smart with suppliers
It is important to protect your suppliers as well as your guests and employees. You can use the same contactless payment method with providers as with delivery customers. Again limit the number of people handling these items.
Also, ask your suppliers what precautions they are taking to slow the spread of COVID-19 so you can pass this information on to your employees and customers.
In addition to implementing these food safety tips in your restaurant, read the Rwandan Ministry of Health guidelines before finalizing or communicating your restaurant's approach to the pandemic. They are the best sources for updated information in a situation that changes from day to day.
Times are difficult right now and you are focused on your business. However, remember to also take care of yourself and try to relieve your stress. By protecting your employees and customers by following food safety advice and by keeping your restaurant pristine, you are playing an important role in fighting the spread of Covid-19.
The author is a chef in Kigali.
lechefclaude@yahoo.com
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