Dining out is a fun and relaxing activity for the customers that patronize your restaurant. In addition to good food and an entertaining environment, you should also provide your customers with a great restaurant experience that encourages a return trip in the near future. Here are three tips that will help make your eating establishment safe for both customers and your employees.
Safely Handle Food
The culture you create regarding food safety in your restaurant should promote safety and cleanliness. You should also establish a protocol that governs how food is stored, handled and prepared in your business establishment. A hand washing station should be available to employees to ensure their hands are always clean before handling food. Your employees should be taught how to properly wash the food they are preparing and should never work when they are ill. Finally, you should provide employee training on proper food storage and the correct temperatures used to cook food.
Include Warning Signs
Slips and falls that take place in restaurants are often caused by unnoticed hazards like damaged or wet floors. If you commonly have these issues, there are a few steps you can take. Providing signage that will alert customers and employees to troubled areas or spills will help to keep them safe. Make sure your cleaning staff knows to use safety signs whenever they put water or other substances on the floor. Areas that pose significant safety risks due to damaged property should be taped off until adequately repaired. Any spills should be cleaned immediately. Signs should be used so that others can exercise caution when walking near the affected area. According to Ahlander Law, it’s best to leave wet floor signs out after clean-ups and until and area is completely dry to protect you and your customers.
Fire Safety Training
A good fire suppression system is necessary to guarantee your restaurant is safe for employees and customers. But it is just as important that your employees are trained to competently use the system. Encore Fire Protection recommends training all of your staff in general fire safety, regardless of what area they work in. You can start by scheduling a day of training that features a talk from a local fire authority. Your staff should know the location of things like fire extinguishers and blankets. They should also be taught to properly use these items. Training should be made available to employees that teach them to perform CPR, administer first aid to burn victims and activate the fire suppression system manually.
Customers that dine at your restaurant are in search of good food in a fun and relaxing environment. And though it may or may not be at the forefront of their minds, the safety of both your customers and employees is just as important. The good news is that the methods available to make your restaurant as safe as possible are simple and easy to implement.
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