Could Your Restaurant Pass Inspection Today?

Focus on cleanliness and good hygiene practices to prep your restaurant for an A+ grade!

Heading up a restaurant means there’s an endless list of things you need to prepare for each and every day. In the hustle and bustle of the daily lunch rush or the late-night crowd, it’s easy to push one of the most important items farther and farther down the “to-do” list: getting ready for the next health inspection.

You don’t want to be left scrambling to make sure everything is up to code right before an expected visit – which you can’t predict anyway. What’s easier, in the long run, is to establish proper workforce habits and make supply changes now, so you’re confident you’ll pass inspection no matter when it happens.

Here are a few things to remember to get your staff and your establishment up to code.

Practice makes perfect.

Surprise “inspections” led by you keep employees on their toes and ensure all bases are covered for the real thing. Get your hands on the inspection sheet that will be used for your health inspection. Quiz your employees on best practices and make sure they’ve been properly trained in the various aspects of safe food preparation and other safety measures.

Pay attention to overlooked safety hazards.

Restaurant fires are rare, but they do happen. You can decrease your risk by outsourcing dirty linens to a commercial laundry service rather than utilizing on-site dryers that could malfunction or simply not be equipped to handle the continuous load of linens produced by a busy restaurant. Other restaurant hazards include slips and falls, both in the kitchen and on the service floor. Dry, well-maintained, anti-slip floor mats help reduce slips and falls. Also, message mats containing safety, cleanliness, or quality-related reminders keep these issues top-of-mind for employees.

Remember the restrooms.

Problems with restroom facilities often fall under the “Noncritical Violations” category, but if left uncorrected they could become “Critical Violations” – the kind that can shut down a business. Your commercial bathroom cleaning supply services should include maintenance of facility supplies like soap dispensers, air fresheners, hand towels, and tissues with certified products:

  • National Sanitation Foundation – NSF
  • Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – HACCP
  • Environmental Protection Agency – EPA
  • Green Seal Certified
  • Americans Disability Act Accessible – ADA

Ask your commercial cleaning supply company if their restroom products include automated, touch-free towel dispensers to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Similarly, automated soap dispensers with thick, dense, foaming cleaners ensure reliable delivery and encourage use by guests and employees alike.

It can’t be too clean.

Uniform and kitchen linens should be kept spotless and germ-free. Be sure your laundering service stocks, mends, and replaces professional microfiber towels, bar mops, grill rags, and uniforms to help keep foreign objects out of food. The advanced chemical technologies used by commercial services ensure your linens and uniforms are always fresh and hygienically clean. To be sure of such cleanliness, look for a laundry service that has earned its Hygienically Clean Certification through the Textile Rental Services Association.

Don’t just focus on the food – focus on the food prep area.

Inspectors will test your establishment’s cooking, warming, and serving practices to make sure your staff is preparing and serving food at acceptable temperatures. They’ll also be looking at the food prep area and the people preparing the food. Dirty, wet floor mats grow and harbor dangerous bacteria. Anti-microbial floor mats inhibit the growth of bacteria in high-use areas behind prep-lines and bars. These mats have excellent anti-fatigue properties, and their wet mat flow-through design aids in draining and cleanliness. But to be effective, mats must be professionally cleaned on a regular basis, otherwise, they contribute to the problem rather than solving it. Scraper mats and walk-off mats at restaurant front doors also help reduce track-through of dirt, germs, and water.

Work on making these small, yet effective, everyday choices to ensure your establishment is always ready to pass inspection.