So, let’s say you want to have a nice meal with your significant other at a nice restaurant. The restaurant is pretty, it’s well-lit, and the prices are great. But, the waiter that brings your food is wearing a dirty uniform. What would you think? What kind of impression does that leave you with?
Indeed, if their uniform is so dirty, what does the kitchen look like?
Never forget that where restaurants are concerned, first impressions are everything. So remember that, besides providing a nice atmosphere and good food, every tiny detail is of paramount importance.
The cleanliness of the place, the uniforms, washrooms, floors, everything creates an impression and speaks volumes about the whole place and your overall business management.
Remember that you can always hire somebody skilled and experienced to manage the little details while you focus on the big picture.
You will have more time to focus on the food that is served at your establishment. Always use the freshest of ingredients, keep food safely stored, well prepared and finely presented.
In order to serve the perfect meal, you should keep a few things in mind. Read on to find out what they are.
Get the Right Staff
Now, this may sound obvious, but when you are working with food, you are directly influencing the health and well-being of your customers. So, this is not something that should be taken lightly.
That’s why you should hire only the very best employees. It’s not enough that people know how to cook, they need to know what the health risks are if they mess up at any point. That is why you should only hire seasoned professionals.
They also need to know what to buy, where to buy ingredients, how to store them, and, of course, how to prepare the food. But, they should also be disciplined and hard-working, and should never skimp on things like washing the dishes properly, disposing of the trash correctly, or washing their hands often.
For that reason, providing your staff with extra training is always a good idea, and is a worthy and useful investment.
Always Go with High-Quality Ingredients
If you want to be sure you are serving perfectly safe and healthy food, then you have to be very cautious when choosing ingredients and raw materials. They mustn’t be contaminated in any way in order to meet food safety regulations.
However, food-poisoning bacteria can be found on some types of food more easily than others. So, paying attention to high-risk foods has to be one of your top priorities.
Raw meat, dairy products, eggs, seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables are all foods that you have to be extra careful with when purchasing and storing them.
Don’t Forget to Store Your Food the Right Way
After you buy high-quality and healthy ingredients, the next thing you have to think about is storing them properly to avoid any health issues. Every type of food has a place where it has to be stored in order to be fresh and safe for consumption.
The way you store the food must protect it from contamination. The temperature plays a very important role. Remember that each type of food requires a different storing temperature.
Meat has to be kept in the fridge, for example, while room temperature is perfect for storing tomatoes so they do not lack taste. Also, some food has to be kept in a darker environment while others need a bit of light.
Make sure all your kitchen staff know exactly how, where and at which temperature to store particular food. Otherwise, you might get into trouble and risk exposing your customers to serious health hazards, which is bound to ruin your business reputation in the blink of an eye.
Cleanliness Is Key
When running a restaurant business, the kitchen is the most important place as that is where food is prepared. It needs to be spotless. If it is not clean and sanitary you may face some serious fines.
Make sure that your staff always wear clean uniforms and hairnets and that they keep their hands clean and disinfected.
Some items you should definitely put in your kitchen and washrooms are instant hand sanitisers and paper towel dispensers. By doing this you can be sure that the food is safe and won’t be contaminated.
Take Proper Care of Your Food
Nobody wants to eat in a restaurant where staff wear dirty uniforms and where hygiene levels are not up to standard. Just think about it in this way – if your staff don’t look after themselves and the hygiene levels of both the restaurant premises and themselves, then they should not be dealing with the food you serve.
There are so many things you should think about very carefully if you want to provide delicious meals, good service and a pleasant environment. Just dealing with buying, storing and preparing food takes a huge amount of time and energy.
However, there are some areas of the business where you can save time and energy, by hiring professionals to take care of your uniforms, linen and hygiene products for the kitchen. Alsco can manage all of this for you.
To get the best, tailored deal for your restaurant, call Alsco now and ask for a quote!
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