For a restaurant business to succeed, it needs to have delicious food, loyal customers and a clean environment. Aside from serving mouth-watering meals to guests, restaurants need to make sure that every square inch of the establishment is clean. Owners and managers must inspect the place thoroughly to ensure that the restaurant meets stringent sanitation and hygiene standards.
Kitchens can be a little messy and disorganised. If not cleaned well, it could lead to contamination, pests and potential health hazards. It could also mean the closure of your business. Here are some tips to keep a professional kitchen clean and sanitised.
Keep the floor clean
Every employee has access to the kitchen. Besides the cook or chef, servers, cashiers and managers walk in and out of the kitchen. With that much foot traffic in a small area, not to mention spills and grease stains, the floor could be one of the dirtiest spots.
To keep the kitchen floor clean after a busy day, walk-behind industrial scrubbers would come in handy. It would make the kitchen and restaurant floor clean and free of grime and grease in just a matter of minutes.
Sanitise and disinfect
Most kitchen equipment come in close contact with raw products and ingredients. They could be at risk of being contaminated with blood borne pathogens. To prevent contamination, employees must thoroughly clean and sanitise all the equipment that have been used, including cutting boards, blenders, frills and countertops.
This can prevent the spread of salmonella, listeria and other bacteria in the food and kitchen. It will also help to prep stations with antibacterial or disinfectant solutions after the restaurant closes each night.
Wash your hands regularly
Perhaps the most important thing to do to ensure that the food is clean is to impose proper and frequent hand washing in the kitchen premises. Each person who comes in contact with the food must maintain clean hands.
Additionally, kitchen staff are required to wear hairnets and even nose and mouth guards when preparing food. These employees are even required to get a permit from the sanitary department before they are allowed to work in the food industry.
Store and dispose of food properly
Proper storage also contributes to having a clean and sanitary restaurant. When items are sorted out and stored properly, restaurants can prevent food spoilage, contamination and wastage. Labels and tags identify which ingredients and produce should be used first so that they do not rot or expire inside the pantry and stock rooms.
Refrigerators, freezers and ice machines should be emptied and defrosted once a month to prevent the accumulation of bacteria and heavy frosting.
Clean the exhaust hoods and vents
One of the toughest areas to clean in the kitchen is the exhaust hood. The exhaust receives accumulated grease from long hours of cooking. If not cleaned properly, grease can spread around the entire kitchen and worse, cause a major fire hazard. It is better to seek the help of professionals when cleaning your exhaust hoods.
A good restaurant should never compromise cleanliness. Customers trust that restaurants will give them clean and quality food all the time. These guests deserve nothing but the best.