Blog posts of '2020' 'December'

The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect and make changes that will better your life. As you are setting your health and lifestyle resolutions for the new year, consider making a few resolutions about restaurant management.

Here are 4 ideas of New Year’s resolutions you can make to become an even better restaurant manager.

1. Switch to Video-Based Training

Everyone has different learning styles, but video-based learning has been proven to keep students more engaged and help to better retain the information.

Keep your staff engaged by implementing video-based food safety training to make sure they are retaining the most food safety knowledge that they can.

2. Implement Continuous Training

Help keep your staff educated about proper food safety procedures by implementing continuous training throughout the year. While food handlers cards only need to be renewed every one to three years depending on the state, it is good to equip your staff with up-to-date knowledge to ensure your kitchen is safe.

3. Better Organize Your Certifications

We all know that running a restaurant involves a LOT of paperwork, but it does not have to.

Get a management account that stores all certificates in one easy to use area, including information about what training each employee has taken, their pass rate, and a link to a PDF version of the certificate.

4. Keep Better Track with Schedules and Logs

Create a schedule and keep up with your cleaning and thermometer checks by using some of our  PDF downloads that you fill out to track when you’ve last cleaned or checked the temperatures of the refrigerators.

5. Offer Greater Flexibility with Certifications

Driving to a testing center to take the food protection manager certification exam can take time out of your staff’s already busy schedule. Offer them greater flexibility by giving them the option to take remotely proctored online exams so they can take the exam wherever and whenever, or have an internal proctor in your business so they can take their exam in-house.

With the holiday season upon us, many people enjoy a holiday feast with family and friends to celebrate.

However, preparing and serving food always comes with the risk of spreading foodborne illnesses. Incorrect food handling could get you and your loved ones sick. To prevent this from happening, follow these food safety tips to ensure you have a happy and safe holiday season.

Cook Food to Its Minimum Internal Temperature

Whether it’s turkey, ham, or another holiday delicacy you’re cooking, be sure it reaches its recommended minimum internal cooking temperature to get pathogenic bacteria down to a safe level. Use a food thermometer to check before taking it out of the oven.

Keep Food Out of The Temperature Danger Zone.

When serving food, it is important to make sure that time and temperature control (TCS) foods do not stay in the temperature danger zone (between 40°F - 140°F) for longer than 2 hours. At this temperature, pathogenic bacteria can multiply at an exponential rate.

Don’t Eat Raw Cookie Dough

Cookies are a popular treat during the holiday season, but don’t be tempted to eat the cookie dough. The raw eggs and flour can harbor a number of harmful bacteria, leading to food poisoning.

Wash Your Hands

This one seems simple, but it’s easy to forget. Remember to wash your hands before and after handling food.

COVID-19 has pushed restaurants to offer more takeout and delivery options. These can present new safety challenges—from how to safely handle the food to social distancing while delivering food to customers.

You train food handlers and managers, so why not train your delivery drivers?

Delivery driver training employee health, when not to come into work, handwashing and personal hygiene, safe food handling procedures, cleaning and sanitizing, and how to social distance while making deliveries. As safety is a primary concern right now, this training is beneficial for your business because it keeps your staff an customers safe.

Here are just a few of the reasons you should consider delivery driver training for your business:

Prevent Foodborne Illnesses

Food delivery creates opportunity for food safety issues such as temperature abuse and cross-contamination. Learning more about personal hygiene, such as proper handwashing and glove usage, ss well as proper cleaning and sanitizing, will help you prevent foodborne illnesses.

Follow COVID-19 Safety Measures

COVID-19 continues to be a major concern for people. Delivery driver training includes details on how to properly social distance while delivering food to keep your customers—and your employees—protected and at ease.

Better Customer Experience

Training your delivery drivers on best practices will ensure that your customers have a better overall experience with their food delivery. The delivery will go more smoothly if you equip your staff with the knowledge of how to properly deliver food.

Always Food Safe offers FREE delivery driver training so you are prepared and know how to keep your customers safe.