“Chef Seth VanderLaan – Guest Vollrath”

These difficult times are certainly a test of those skills.
Although there is a lot of uncertainty in our industry right now, we are sure to come out of it!

Another sure thing is that when we recover, there will be a greater focus on safe food management and personal hygiene practices in our operations.

It is important to obtain the highest possible scores in food safety inspections. At the same time, we also have a moral obligation to provide our guests with food of the highest quality and in the safest way possible.

While your obvious priority right now is your safety, that of your family, and that of your employees, take advantage of these next few weeks to take a critical look at your work. Prepare to return to normal business hours by inspecting your kitchens, self-service areas, and dining areas for opportunities for improvement in safe food management.
Once the doors reopen, the additional threat from coronavirus and other communicable diseases will still be on people’s minds.

Are your packaged condiments easy to pick up and transport (in limited quantities) to avoid possible cross contamination?
Is this place easy to clean and visually appealing?
When it comes to condiments and single-use items, opt for dispensing options that can be easily stored, maintained and cleaned.

Once you return to normal business hours, strolling through each of your locations will be vitally important, as people’s perception of public spaces will have changed dramatically.
If it smells like dirt or mess, that can lead to a loss of customers.

Back in the kitchen, check out some of your operating equipment and personal hygiene SOPs. When I teach my ServSafe manager classes, I always say that bacteria are best killed with proper time and temperature control procedures, but viruses are not always slowed down in the same way.

Because proper cooking and cooling may not destroy these viruses, your best line of defense is always to practice good personal hygiene and proper hand washing.

Review your procedures.

Make sure your sinks are always adequately stocked and that they are all working properly.

Make sure access to toilets is not blocked in any way during busy service hours.

Retrain your employees to only use these sinks for hand washing and emphasize that they should never block access to them in any way.

But having clean hands is only helpful if the utensils you are using are not contaminated. Consider swapping out some of your older plates, ladles, and tongs, keeping in mind the benefits of antimicrobial handle utensils.

Most of the time we focus on upgrading larger equipment because it is much more obvious to us (not to mention the price) when they degrade or break. However, smaller items like cutting boards, plate racks, and silverware containers are often quite old and need to be replaced, and could be a breeding ground for pathogens if not properly cleaned.

If you have a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) plan, take some time to make sure you are up to date on any new equipment or procedure modifications. If your staff works from home, this is the perfect time to apply some of the procedures and SOPs and review the materials, as they are rarely studied in depth during business hours.

We are in an unprecedented situation, but our industry will prevail.
It’s important to stay positive and plan how your business will adapt to change.

Keep your family safe, your mind active, and your thoughts optimistic. We are all in this together!