As well as being a legal requirement, food hygiene is a massive concern for diners.
According to Checkit, “61% of consumers said they wouldn’t eat at any establishment that had a food hygiene rating of 2 or below.” Their research shows that it also doesn’t matter what kind of establishment it is. Whether it’s a pub, cafe, takeaway or fine dining restaurant, diners will avoid it if the hygiene rating is low.
Additionally, 75% of people said they would not visit an establishment that had been involved in a food hygiene related incident.
So, with that in mind, here are some helpful tips for keeping your restaurant’s hygiene rating the best it can be.
Start with the basics of food hygiene
By getting the basics down, you can use it as a solid base to build upon. Start simple. Things like: eliminating cross-contamination by keeping food preparation and cooking areas separate, and using different equipment for preparing raw and cooked food; having relevant and adequate cleaning equipment to keep surfaces sanitised; and storing chilled food at the right temperatures and in the right containers.
Ensure adequate training is given to employees
Having food hygiene rules and regulations is all well and good but if your staff don’t know how to implement them, or aren’t even aware of them, they aren’t going to do you much good. It is essential to fully train staff on all health, safety and hygiene regulations and keep them up to date with any changes. Carry out regular assessments to see where you need to improve and retrain staff if necessary.
Be consistent
Not only will being consistent with your cleaning regime ensure you have a spotless establishment that serves up food that isn’t going to harm anyone, but it will mean that you’ll never get caught out when it comes to inspections. Inspectors from the Foods Standard Agency could inspect your premises at any time and will more often than not come unannounced. They will inspect:
• Your premises
• The kinds of food you make or prepare
• How you work
• Your food safety management system
Having systems and checks in place will ensure your inspections go smoothly and you won’t be penalised with a poor hygiene rating.
Get professional cleaning equipment
Whether it’s for your floors or for your equipment, investing in professional cleaning equipment can often be a great way to speed up your cleaning process and make it more efficient. Professional cleaning equipment is designed for use in the commercial and industrial sectors so you know you’re going to get the job done. A clean premises reduces the likelihood of you getting a pest infestation or having contaminated food. To save yourself some money, it’s not even necessary to buy the equipment outright, instead you can hire industrial cleaning equipment.
