Step #5 ~ Re-train and Enforce Food Safety standards and policies

Considering the public’s concern about restaurant kitchen and café cleanliness it is now more important than ever to retrain and reinforce proper hygiene and sanitation practices.  Below are a few ideas to help you exceed these standards:

• Managers should familiarize themselves with the CDC’s guidelines on hygiene, as well as answers to questions about food and Covid-19
• Ensure proper hand-washing is taken place, trained and coached as needed.  Also ensure you have the right posters in place in all hand-washing stations and restrooms.  Role-play hand-washing and how long and the process for each team member to complete accurately and be signed off on.  Implement a 20-minute timer, set all day to remind every team member to change gloves and wash their hands regularly
• Create a pre-shift checklist for each team member before they start their shift. Make it mandatory that they show up on time and check-in with a leader to make sure they are not showing any signs of illness, their uniforms are clean, and they are practicing appropriate personal hygiene practices.
• Retrain kitchen team members on sanitizer solution usage.  Quat sanitizer solution is effective for maximum only two hours or if it becomes dirty.  Set a 60-minute kitchen timer to remind team members to fill a clean sanitizer bucket with fresh solution.
• Set a regular schedule for a manager to check dishwasher functioning and water temperature, as well as usage and inventory levels of required cleaning and sanitizing chemicals. Place orders when 25% of chemical pars have been reached.
• Ensure that all to-go packaging, napkins, and utensils are stored underneath a shelf or tabletop, wrapped in a bag, or are turned upside down to prevent physical contamination. Keep packaging inventory in cases until needed.

Step #6 ~ Create standardized phone and online Customer Service Expectations

When setting up procedures for taking, filling, and completing to-go and delivery orders, design each step to minimize contact between team members and guests for everyone’s health and safety.  Create checklists for your team and build step-by step procedures.  As you develop your customer service expectations over the phone and email, include specific ways to demonstrate your commitment to recommended hygiene steps.  Below is a set of recommended steps of service for to-go and delivery orders:

• If you’re using third-party delivery services, use social media and encourage guests to place their orders on your website by clicking links to delivery companies. Many fees have been waived or reduced.
• Encourage in-person use of touch-free payments. Although it has not been proven that the virus can be transferred on money, ensure your team and customers feel safe and know your payment options. Encourage customers to set up Google or Apple Pay through your website and social media feeds.
• For guests using a third-party delivery service, let them know on your website that they can request a no-contact delivery by texting their driver.
• Depending on the size of your business and team members working to meet customer demand, have orders placed through a leader or manager if possible. To provide a consistent experience as well as increase customer engagement with your team – try to have the same employee taking orders in consistent dayparts.  This way they will get to know your team member and create a connection.  Always, capture a guest name and phone number for each order and a pick-up time for advance orders.  For curbside pickup orders, provide guests with a phone number to call when they arrive for their order or ask for a license plate and vehicle description
• When guests arrive and call for their order, have a greeter wearing gloved hands open the door and direct them to the cashier. If the guest is paying with a credit card, the cashier uses hand sanitizer and puts on a new pair of gloves before ringing up the purchase. Once the cashier hands the credit card back to the guest, the cashier removes and discards their gloves in front of the guest.
• Place signs at the cashier and on the front door listing specific cleaning and hygiene practices you are following to instill confidence in guests.