From our partners at the National Restaurant Association

The secret to managing food safety across multiple sites

For week three of National Food Safety Month, we explore how restaurant managers overseeing multiple locations can standardize food safety across the entire workforce. Multi-unit managers must be able to manage day-to-day logistics, provide guidance for team leaders, and handle problems as they arise. Additionally, restaurant managers are responsible for promoting and maintaining safe food handling practices among all employees. So, how can multi-unit managers juggle these responsibilities and lead their teams to food safety success? By systemizing food safety management.

The Role of Multi-Unit Restaurant Managers in Food Safety

Multi-unit managers have many roles to fulfill. The most important one is keeping customers safe. Food safety must be at the forefront of every decision multi-unit restaurant managers make. This includes systemizing food safety management for consistency across all locations, keeping up to date on local regulations, and making sure every team member feels empowered by food safety knowledge.

Strengthening Your Food Safety Management System

Chances are, as a restaurant manager you already follow some sort of Food Safety Management System (FSMS). But how can you be sure your efforts to promote food safety are enough?

When workplace practices are rooted in strong, research backed policies and procedures, foodborne illness risk factors are significantly reduced, customer satisfaction is increased, and employees are more empowered to make smart food safety decisions.

A strong FSMS is rooted in active managerial control (AMC) principles. You can implement these principles into your restaurant operations through:

• Training programs
• Standardized procedures
• Measures to gauge success

Learn more about strengthening your FSMS and leading your workforce to success in our eBook: Developing a Culture of Food Safety – Restaurant Manager’s Edition.

Know Your Local Regulations

Knowing the rules and regulations of your jurisdictional area is critical for staying on top of ever-changing retail food safety requirements. You should be familiar with your state food code and make sure you  keep abreast of changes or updates. Use this map created by the National Association of County Health Officials to find your local department.

As you’re probably aware, different areas in the US have varying requirements for food safety certification and training for restaurant employees. The ServSafe Regulatory Map is an interactive, up-to-date map that allows you to see your employee food safety training requirements. Visit the link below to view the Food Safety Management and Food Handling requirements specific to your operating jurisdiction now.

See national regulator map here.

Empower Your Team

Developing a culture of food safety throughout your operations starts with empowering employees. Employees who are informed of food safety best practices and have access to valuable information are more likely to develop winning habits.

ServSafe Ops is a restaurant operations management platform that drives operational efficiency through task verification, access to information, ongoing training, issue identification, employee engagement, and more. With customizable checklists and reporting, ServSafe Ops provides verification of tasks completed and acts as both a measure of employee performance and a method for engagement with your brand.

From our partners at the National Restaurant Association

To kick off National Food Safety Month last week, we revisited food safety basics and explored the role that food handlers play in preventing the spread of pathogens. This week, we take a closer look at the role that restaurant and foodservice managers have in promoting a safe environment for their customers through self-inspection and risk mitigation. By learning what to look for in health inspections, managers can run regular assessments and make preparation a part of their staff’s regular routine. Let’s take a closer look at how managers can stay prepared.

A Manager’s Role in Food Safety

Restaurant and foodservice managers are faced with the critical role of fostering a food-safe environment. One of the best ways managers can create an ongoing strategy for success is by staying prepared for health inspections. Health inspectors want to know that  managers are running a safe, clean operation by checking for many of the basic food safety practices we covered last week. Running regular self-inspections is a great way to test staff knowledge, address problems at the source, and ensure a safe and enjoyable dining experience for customers. An equally important role managers have in fostering a food-safe environment is preventing dangerous foodborne illnesses caused by cross-contamination.

A Restaurant Manager’s Guide to Passing Health Inspections

Much like restaurant managers, keeping customers safe is a health inspector’s number one priority. In our guide, we go over some common health inspection challenges, the basic policies, practices, and requirements managers must have in place before an inspection, and what managers can do to stay prepared.

Download the self-inspection e-book here.

Performing Self-Inspections

Preparing for your next health inspection with a self-inspection checklist is a great way to make sure your staff is up to speed on food safety practices and check your facility for potential issues. Make sure to speak with your local health department about food safety guidelines for your area and review your state and local food codes frequently for specific requirements and updates.

Download the self-inspection checklist here. 

Risks and Prevention of Norovirus

Norovirus is a serious, highly contagious illness that is spread through close contact, contaminated food, or contaminated surfaces. This virus sends around 70,000 people to the hospital each year and nearly 70% of outbreaks can be traced back to infected food service workers. As a restaurant manager, knowing the risks can help you prevent contamination and manage an outbreak should one occur. These basic prevention tips can help protect staff members, customers, and the greater public:

• Exclude food handlers who are vomiting or have diarrhea from the operation
• Prevent handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands
• Make sure staff are washing hands thoroughly, whenever required
• Ensure fruits and vegetables are rinsed before use
• Regularly clean and sanitize surfaces and utensils
• Purchase shellfish from approved reputable suppliers

Watch the norovirus and hand-washing video here.

Contact RCS Training today for your food handler training! Learn more here.

From our partners at the National Restaurant Association

National Food Safety Month (NFSM) 2022 is here and we’re excited to kick off a month of exploring food safety at every level starting with the most essential restaurant employees: food handlers. Food handlers have an important role in keeping food safe, as many handlers come in direct contact with menu items. Simple safe food handling practices can help prevent the spread of pathogens and keep customers protected from foodborne illnesses. But as easy as safe food handling practices are to learn, they can also be easy to forget. Let’s revisit some basic food safety standards and best practices.

Food Handlers’ Role in Food Safety

The role of a food handler is so important that most states require restaurant and foodservice employees to obtain a Food Handler Certification as a requirement for employment. Customers trust that food handlers practice basic food safety and have their best interests in mind. After all, everyone wants to feel safe when dining out. Food handlers have a responsibility to meet the expectations of customers by following a food safety standard, or else run the risk of putting patrons in danger.

Basic Food Safety Practices

Practice Good Personal Hygiene

• Know when, where, and how to wash your hands.
• Only use single-use gloves when handling food. NEVER rinse, wash, or reuse gloves.
• Keep fingernails short and clean. DO NOT wear nail polish or false nails. Make sure wounds are covered correctly.
• Always wear clean, appropriate clothing and bathe daily. DO NOT wear rings, bracelets, or watches.
• NEVER eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum or tobacco in prep areas, areas used to clean utensils and equipment, or in service areas.
• If you are experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), or a sore throat with a fever, report these symptoms to a manager immediately.

Learn more about when to wash your hands

Controlling Time and Temperature

• Know which foods are most likely to become unsafe (temperature controlled for safety, or TCS food).
• Keep foods out of the temperature danger zone: 41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C).
• Know how to use a food thermometer.
• Receive cold TCS food at 41°F (5°C) or lower. Receive hot TCS food at 135°F (57°C) or higher.
• Store TCS food safely at the right temperature.
• Cooked TCS food must reach the correct internal temperature and stay there for a specific amount of time.
• Prepare food safely. NEVER
  • Thaw TCS food at room temperature.
  • Prepare TCS food in large batches.
  • Cool large amounts of hot food in a cooler or cool food at room temperature.
  • Use hot-holding equipment to reheat food (unless it has been made for this purpose).
• Make sure cooked TCS food reaches the correct internal temperature and stays there for a specific amount of time.

Download this comprehensive cooking temperature

Preventing Cross-Contamination

• Store food only in designated food storage areas, away from walls, off the floor, and wrapped or covered.
• Make sure workstations, cutting boards, equipment, and utensils are cleaned and sanitized before prepping food.
• Keep produce away from raw meat and wash before use.
• When serving, do NOT touch the parts of dishes, glassware, or utensils that come in contact with food.
• Always store chemicals and cleaning supplies in a designated storage area, NEVER store near food.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

• Know the difference between cleaning and sanitizing: cleaning removes food and other dirt from a surface; sanitizing reduces pathogens on a surface to safe levels.
• Know which surfaces to clean and/or which to clean and sanitize, when to clean them, and how to do it.
• Use a dishwasher (when available) to clean and sanitize smaller items and a three-compartment sink for larger items.
• Remove garbage from prep areas as quickly as possible. Do NOT clean garbage containers near prep or food-storage areas.
• Look out for these pest signs:
  • Droppings
  • Nests
  • Damage to products, packages, or the facility