Salad and hot food bars are popular for one great reason – they prevent food from contamination and promote fresh and healthy foods that people like to eat. In buffets, people get the opportunity to choose their favorites from many options at a bar making it an exciting dining experience for them and also creating convenience for your operations. However, restaurant owners and staff must stay vigilant and must never lose sight of food safety.There is nothing more exciting than a fresh and beautiful food bar. They provide an engaging experience and generate good revenue for restaurant owners. In the time of COVID-19, restaurant owners must go the extra mile to ensure that food is safe from contamination and customers are safe from any infections.Here are five safety tips that restaurants can consider.
Temperature Monitoring:
Food is always prone to contamination. However, some foods as compared to others are more susceptible to host pathogens and become a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. TCS (temperature control for safety) foods that include milk, eggs and other dairy products require special attention and you must always keep a temperature check in salad bars and other self-service areas to maintain the following standards:
41˚F or below for cold food
135˚F or above for hot foods
Handle Food with Care:
Restaurants must take appropriate measures and follow best practices on food procurement. It must be noted that there are several food items that cannot be rewashed as doing so introduces food safety risks and also reduces the shelf life.Dispose of all food items that might have been cross-contaminated or weren’t properly checked for temperatures. Restaurants must devise a waste management plan to handle leftovers, typically in cooked products.
Minimize Cross-Contamination
Here are some tips to minimize cross-contamination.
Never mix new and existing food
Ensure individual serving tools for each item
Communicate to customers to always use serving utensils
Install Sneeze Guards:
Sneeze guards are not something new and have been around us for decades. Sneeze guards were invented by Restaurateur and Inventor Johnny Garneau. The purpose of these protective barriers is to keep food safe and contaminant free. The sneeze guards have been endorsed for their effectiveness in creating a healthy restaurant experience and the FDA established the mandatory presence of food guards in all 50 states. Please click here to order Sneeze Guards or call us at 877-433-4466
