If you serve great food at an awesome location, Alsco would like to congratulate you. As the aroma of freshly made food attracts your customers, you certainly deserve all the success you may get in the future.
Still, are you sure you are not forgetting something?
The followers of every restaurant in the world, regardless of how successful it is are dirt and germs. They are always there, trying to survive and unfortunately, cause problems to your blossoming business.
You are probably doing your best to stay clean, but the question remains: are you sure you are doing enough?
There are estimations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than half of all foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States originate in schools, delis, restaurants and other similar institutions.
Do not let your cleaning routine becomes just that – routine. Overlooking some locations can come back to haunt you big time. Here is a list of 5 top places that often get neglected.
The Door Mats
On average, 500 people that enter any given restaurant in a period of 40 days can bring in 24 pounds (11 kilograms) of dirt. When you put it that way, the number if far from insignificant. You probably have mats at your door. This is why you have to ask yourself two important questions:
- Are they doing their job?
- How efficient are they?
Rental lift-and-lay mats such as that from Alsco are proven to be better than both supermarket or hardware store mats to get more out the mats. Read here to know why.
The Telephone
It is a common sight to see at any place and restaurants are no exceptions. Whether you need them at the reception or the bar, or even the kitchen, the phones are unavoidable. Again, you have to ask yourself whether they are cleaned regularly and with enough effort?
Telephones are in touch with some of the dirtiest parts of the human body – our hands and mouth. This is why the receivers are such a great breeding ground for bacteria. People rarely have the habit of washing their hands after using the telephone.
This is particularly dangerous in areas where food is being handled. There it is important that not only are the phones cleaned regularly, but also that they should be cleaned properly as well.
Alsco’s soft kitchen wipes can be used to periodically clean telephones. This is a good habit to develop, as this stops the spread of germs and keeps them under control. The wipes are laundered to the highest standards required of the Australian food industry. Fold these well and use a fresh part each time.
The Door Handles
People wash their hands after using door handles perhaps even more seldom than after using the phone. And since it is one of the points almost everyone entering or exiting the restaurant will touch it is definitely a germ heaven.
Never forget to include them in your routine. Perhaps the best practice would be to do this every one or two hours.
The Sneeze Guard
Does your restaurant have buffets or salad or ice-cream bars or any other form of open food counters? You are probably using a sneeze guard as a form of protection, which is good. However, now any contamination stopped by the guard, collects on the guard.
Good luck there Alsco’s tea towels at the ready! With some glass cleaning liquid you will be well on your way to a cleaner tomorrow.
The Dispensers In Your Washrooms
These are regularly touched by unwashed hands and are a hotbed of germs and disease which could spread to other parts of your washroom and then to the restaurant in no time.
Installing automatic no-touch dispensers is a healthier alternative. Advanced technology ensures these dispensers activate when you need them to without having to touch them thus avoiding cross-contamination. As an added advantage, they dispense only the required amount of soap making them more economical too.
With a bit of luck and effort, these few places in your restaurants will not escape the attention they deserve.
If you are looking for healthier, safer and greener solutions, you can always give Alsco a call. Our friendly sales representatives will make sure you find out all you wanted to know about tailored solutions for your needs and a free quote as well.
Remember, Alsco Is Just A Phone Call Away!
Photo courtesy of Flickr Images by Peter Bond
