To help restaurants through the challenges related to COVID-19, we have created a list of resources. We are committed to keeping you informed and will continue to add to this list. We also invite you to our sister website, MyFoodSafetyNation.com, where we have news articles around the themes of restaurant food safety, training, HACCP, technology, and other resources. How to Prevent Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Your Restaurant Restaurant Coronavirus Exposure Plan COVID-19 Restaurant Survival Guide PDF Overview: Coronavirus Exposure Plan COVID-19 Poster (18x24 inches) to print and hang in your restaurant 5 Steps to Wash Your Hands Correctly … [Read more...]
How to Handle Foodborne Illness Complaints
Foodborne illness and food poisoning is a real problem for restaurants. No owner wants to be responsible for making customers sick. Having one foodborne illness complaint can be very traumatic, but look at what Chipotle dealt with last year—six outbreaks in six months, 500 sick people across 10 states. They went around the horn twice with three of the most common foodborne illnesses: Salmonella, Norovirus, and E. coli. They lost more than $10 billion in stock value alone. Have a Foodborne Illness Response Plan Most small independent restaurants won’t ever have to deal with foodborne illness at the level of Chipotle’s outbreak, but what do they do when they receive just one complaint? … [Read more...]
The Best Way to Protect Your Restaurant from Outbreaks
Today there was yet another restaurant outbreak in the news. Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill in Chicago is suspected in a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli outbreak affecting at least 25 people. Not only that, on June 29, the City of Boston closed the Thai Dish Restaurant for too many food safety violations. Looking at these two examples of foodborne illness outbreaks, they are independent organizations that most likely won’t survive the financial and liability impact of closures and sick customers. Given the high stakes, how could they put themselves in this position? Local independent restaurants across America are having a hard time effectively managing food safety. Many of them don’t have … [Read more...]
Dennis Keith has been working as a restaurant and food safety professional for more than 20 years.