Helping keep restaurants safe and clean for both customers and workers has never been more important—or more top of mind. Amid restaurant recovery efforts, operators have implemented new strategies for dealing with current challenges, including staff shortages and providing higher levels of sanitation to help prevent the spread of germs.
With that being said, not all of the processes put in place at the onset of the pandemic have stood the test of time—servers wearing disposable gloves may have seemed like a great strategy at the time, but this practice, among others, has since fallen by the wayside amid changing guidelines and recommendations. Still, there are some practices that have remained in place, and others that are currently picking up speed.
Achieving a Scientific Clean™
“Clean” can have many meanings. But achieving a level of clean that helps customers and employees feel confident means going beyond simply the aesthetic elements of cleaning to helping consistently kill pathogens like influenza, norovirus, and SARS-CoV-2. Partnering with a cleaning company with deep subject matter expertise in environmental hygiene will help confirm there’s a robust and comprehensive cleaning program built with science-backed products and procedures to help drive, gain and keep customer confidence.
Streamlining sanitation
Since “doing more with less” is critical in the current climate, optimizing cleaning and sanitation processes is key. There are six easy ways to do this:
- Simplify surface hygiene: Look for versatile and innovative chemistry solutions with viricidal claims that are designed to clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces in as little time as possible. Consider using antimicrobial wipes in cleaning processes, too, for efficient “in-between” cleaning.
- Establish one-pass warewashing: One of the best ways to boost efficiency is to make sure tableware is cleaned the first time through the dishwasher, reducing the need to rewash or hand-polish. In addition to procedural improvements like proper racking and scraping, switch to warewashing solutions that have been optimized for current diet trends and are designed to remove high-protein foods.
- Select multitasking products for dependable degreasing: Reduce the overall complexity of the cleaning process by choosing products specifically designed to require fewer steps, less time and dependency on certain temperatures to complete. In addition, by choosing products that can be used across multiple applications and locations in the restaurant, operators can reduce confusion among employees that would otherwise need to be trained on where to use each cleaning product.
- Onboard faster with digital training: Digital training can help ensure staff has access to on-demand resources, allowing them to onboard, re-train and upskill efficiently. Digital training is most effective when paired with onsite expertise, and when the two are combined, operators can feel confident in a training program that is available when and where staff needs it for helping achieve the desired training outcomes in less time.
- Embrace actionable insights: Beyond training for staff, new technology enables contactless handling for guests as well as back-of-house data analytics that increase guest confidence, employee compliance and operational efficiency.
- Seek outside auditing and expertise: Finally, more businesses are leveraging independent audits to aid in building a comprehensive cleaning program. These programs bring in experts to help verify proper product use, to help ensure the focus remains on public health and food safety.
Prioritizing staff safety
As labor challenges remain a pain point for operators, increasing employee safety is paramount. Helping keep staff healthy helps ensure a fully staffed restaurant—and with a fully staffed restaurant, customer satisfaction is easier to attain. So how can operators make worker safety a priority?
First, make sure sanitation processes are in place and followed strictly—having a fully staffed restaurant helps with this, as it means there will be enough people onsite to help ensure cleaning procedures are being taken care of when necessary. Second, implement policies that allow sick workers to stay home until they are well, which helps protect other workers as well as customers. By implementing processes and policies that put staff safety and health at the forefront, operators not only create a safer environment to work in, but they boost staff morale as well.
Show an enhanced commitment to advancing cleaner, safer practices
Keeping up with safety demands goes beyond clean dishes and surfaces. Ecolab Science Certified is a comprehensive, science-based public health and food safety program that leverages insights from Ecolab’s decades of experience keeping hospitals clean, as well as partnerships with some of the world’s largest hospitality and foodservice brands.
The program includes science-based protocols and products, including hospital disinfectants and food-contact sanitizers proven effective against COVID-19 and other known and emerging pathogens. In addition to these advanced products, the program includes the latest public health and food safety training and periodic audits performed by Ecolab public health and food safety specialists that help verify that protocols are being followed. The program is backed by insights from Ecolab’s global team of scientists and experienced field team, who are experts in advancing practices and protocols to help achieve a higher level of cleanliness.
Ecolab at the Restaurant Leadership Conference (RLC)
Ecolab is one of this year’s title sponsors for the Restaurant Leadership Conference. As a company that values the insights and forward-thinking ideas that are cultivated at this event, Ecolab plans to expand on those great attributes through education on food-safety culture, public health and brand protection by leveraging its innovative product offerings and digital programs. They will also be offering their expansive training expertise to help customers achieve a higher level of cleanliness and continue to prioritize guest and employee safety. To support the industry, Ecolab will also be sharing more about their Ecolab Science Certified program, which can help operators solve many of their top challenges surrounding labor, food safety and public health.
To learn more about Ecolab, click here.
This post is sponsored by Ecolab