Sanitation in Restaurants Is Challenging

Sanitation Problems Are Hard To See From Far Away.

Sanitation in restaurants is challenging because there are so many moving parts to manage.

From basic hygiene and food safety, to more complicated tasks like monitoring proper holding temperatures, staying on top of sanitation can be overwhelming.

If single-unit operators struggle with sanitation compliance, the problem only becomes more difficult at scale.

Corporate operators are unaware of many sanitation issues that happen at the store level, because of the sheer size of their operations.

That’s not surprising, because they’re so far removed from the front lines.

It’s hard enough for single-unit operators to meet sanitation standards, so managing multiple units makes the problem much more complex.

Complexity and scale causes many sanitation blind spots.

When operators are present, employees are always on their “best behavior” because they naturally want to put their best foot forward.

The minute someone from corporate announces they’ll be visiting or dining in the restaurant, everything changes.

Suddenly, everyone starts cleaning, worrying about every last detail, and making everything look as nice as possible.

This is why corporate operators end up seeing is a skewed, prettier version of the restaurant by the time they arrive on the premises.

Sanitation in restaurants is challenging enough, but it becomes even more of an issue when operators aren’t getting a clear picture of reality.

Obviously, deep cleanings and self-audits are a good thing, because they help bring the restaurant back into alignment.

However, operators would benefit more from seeing an accurate picture of reality.

This would allow them to see common trends, pain points, and issues between stores.

Anonymous visits paint a clearer picture of reality

Showing up unannounced gives operators a true representation of reality.

They’re able to get a real understanding of what really needs attention, and this allows them to make policy decisions accordingly.

The problem is that many operators want to be recognized, because they want the special treatment they think they deserve.

However, revealing their identity ultimately undermines the goal of improving operations, because now employees are more likely to adjust their behavior.

I’ve seen this so many times. When a corporate officer or director dines at one of their restaurants, staff and management crowd around their table.

They naturally want to provide the best service, but what ends up happening is staff pay less attention to their guests–the people they need to be taking care of.

Therefore, anonymous visits to restaurants are a much more effective tactic.

Firstly, it allows for a more objective assessment for the operator.

Secondly, it allows staff to keep focusing on providing the best service to all of their guests.

Sending secret shoppers to observe is also effective because they are an objective, third party.

However, nothing reveals more than seeing something with your own eyes, and sometimes you just have to see things for yourself.

Inspections During Slow Times Don’t Reflect Reality

Assessing sanitation in restaurants is challenging for health inspectors and third party safety auditors as well.

They end up with the same kinds of blind spots for the same reasons that operators do.

Inspectors and auditors usually show up before service begins, because it’s convenient for the restaurant and the inspector.

In addition, they often give management ample warning before arriving out of courtesy.

When this happens, staff can be on their best behavior for the inspection, because now they now have time to prepare.

By the time the inspector shows up, they’re getting an inaccurate picture, because they are now seeing a skewed representation of the restaurant (just like the corporate operators).

Health and safety protocols tend to fall apart when restaurants get busy, because this is when they are put to the test.

For this exact reason, health inspectors should be observing during these higher-volume times.

Doing a health inspection in between lunch and dinner service is like conducting a stress test on someone who is resting.

The goal isn’t to embarrass staff, or make the restaurant look bad.

Rather, the objective is to get a sense of what’s actually happening and to understand if existing policies are appropriate and reasonable.

This helps inspectors understand if they’re asking too much of restaurant operators and staff, or if different policies might be more practical.

Sometimes we put constraints on operators and restaurant workers that are unreasonable, and this makes doing business very difficult.

Seeing what actually happens might help both sides have more reasonable expectations.

This could also open up a dialogue to see what’s working and what’s not.

We’re doing well, but there’s room for improvement.

Consumers in the US have a high level of trust in the foodservice industry, and with good reason.

We have some of the highest health and safety standards in the world, and we’ve made a huge amount of progress in the last 100 years.

Things like posting “employees must wash hands” signs in restaurants are something that we don’t even notice anymore, because we’ve gotten so used to seeing them.

However, this shows how much the industry values safety and sanitation.

Despite these advancements, we have much room for improvement.

Anyone who has worked in restaurants knows that workers are not always working clean.

These are basic things like holding glassware by the rims, using glasses to scoop ice, not improper hand washing…and the list goes on.

Cooks licking their fingers while preparing food? Yes, it happens. You’d be surprised how many habits are carried from the home into work.

And this is why restaurant sanitation is challenging–it requires constant monitoring and buy-in from staff.

How Can We Improve?

Sanitation policies are useless if they’re not put into action.

It’s difficult to do this if policies are not easy and convenient for staff.

A very basic but effective tactic is to make safety and sanitation a topic of every pre-shift meeting.

Giving staff one actionable tip every day keeps working clean top-of-mind, because it’s now part of a routine.

By giving simple, daily reminders, sanitation and safety are kept at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.

Over time, safety and sanitation become a central part of the culture.

When that happens, employees are more likely to hold each other accountable.

When clear expectations are set, and a culture is created, positive behavior is more likely to occur and easier to reinforce.

Making sanitation convenient reduces friction for workers.

The easier we make things for people, the more likely they will get done.