Restaurant, Hospitality & Real Estate Consulting NYC | We’re Having a Heat Wave, A Tropical Heat Wave… | 4Q Consulting, LLC

We’re Having a Heat Wave, A Tropical Heat Wave…

Just as Irving Berlin wrote: 

“We're having a heat wave, A tropical heat wave, The temperature's rising, It isn't surprising, She certainly can can-can."

With a mini heat wave in the NYC forecast for this week restaurant owners should be prepared to take some proactive steps to keep both their guests and employees safe when the mercury rises.

Here are 4 areas to focus on to keep guests and employees safe in a heat wave:

Keep People Safe – 

• Keep guests and workers cool, comfortable and hydrated – make sure everyone is drinking plenty of water.  
• Either provide both shade and air circulation or close outside seating during the hottest part of the day – to ensure the safety of both your guests and employees.
• Provide water and food for your staff – Hydration is vital, but so is maintaining blood sugar levels.  
• Monitor staff and guests for signs of distress or heat stroke.
• Lighten the uniforms of the dining room staff – think about a summer weight uniform, with light colors and short sleeves.   
• Monitor patron’s alcohol consumption as over consumption in extreme heat can be accurately dangerous.

Maintain Your Equipment –  

• Service all refrigeration and HVAC units prior to summer so they don’t breakdown in a heat wave.
• Instruct your staff to keep the air conditioning at a consistent level.  Turning the AC or refrigeration units down too far will overload and freeze up your cooling system, rendering them useless. 
• Ensure kitchens are properly ventilated and have fans. 
• If your ice machine is air cooled and struggling to keep up, consider purchasing cubed ice for drinking; similarly, if your refrigerators and walk-ins are struggling, consider purchasing dry ice.

Monitor Food Safety –  

• Monitor refrigerator and product temperatures closely and take corrective action immediately. Remember, all foods must be stored at or below 41°F.  If your walk-in is above 41°F, your food is not properly stored and can be a health hazard.
• To keep cold food cold – 
• Keep walk in and fridge doors closed as much as possible.
• Install Air Curtains to minimize refrigeration loss when doors to walk-in refrigerators and freezers are opened
• Do not overload refrigerators – if the fan unit in the fridge is blocked, this will cause poor air flow and will inhibit the unit’s cooling ability.
• Do not block refrigerator’s external condensing unit with debris and storage items; which would inhibit the units cooling ability.
• Prepare food in small batches to reduce the amount of time food is out of refrigeration and in a very hot kitchen.
• Use proper thawing and cooling techniques: do not leave food out on counters to thaw; thaw all food under running cool water (water should be below 70°F).

Modify Menu Offerings – 

• Offer lighter menu items for the summer – heavy sauces, stews and roasts are can be unappealing when the mercury rises.  These could include cold options such as salads, sandwiches and cold soups.
• Add more small plate and appetizer options as people not only eat lighter food, but they tend to eat smaller portions when it is very hot outside.
• Add frozen non-alcoholic drinks, chillers and fruit flavored waters to menus.

As Cole Porter said in song: “It’s too Darn Hot!”  A few proactive easy fixes can help you get through these periodic heat waves while keeping your guests and employees safe. Also, keep these changes in mind for next year’s planning.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as successful as possible?  4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs. Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2014-2015.

Restaurant Consulting NYC | The Value of An A on Your Next Health Inspection | 4Q Consulting, LLC

The Value of an A on Your Next Health Inspection

Many operators view the health inspection process as a burden, however it is a big part of owning and running a restaurant.  Inspections tend to be broad, intrusive and include many aspects of your business. Inspections review your physical plant (i.e. plumbing, equipment and flooring); licenses, permits and paperwork; food handling including delivery, storing, cooking, holding, serving and discarding; and finally, cleanliness.  

Successful operators have always spent time and money to incorporate food safety and sanitation programs into their daily operations to avoid the monetary fines, legal fees and bad public relations that can result from critical violations.

Additionally, we now live in the age of the educated consumer who has more information at their fingertips than ever before.  Often in major cities there are websites and mobile apps that allow consumers to look up health inspection results before making their dining choices; not having an A grade can dissuade potential customers from visiting your restaurant.

Here are 4 basic steps to institute a food safety and sanitation program in your restaurant:

Know the Code – The food safety and sanitation code is set at the federal level by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is usually updated every three years. The FDA codes are then interpreted and regulations are set at the state and municipal level.  These local regulations are often more strict than the federal guidelines and can change frequently.  Also, local health departments tend to focus on hot-button issues such as recent Trans fat bans, ice as food and consumer allergy notifications.  It is your obligation as a restaurant owner to know the most current regulations in your county or town, and remain in compliance.  

Work with your Local Health Department – Ignoring your local health department won’t make them go away or make your life any easier.  Quite the opposite – fighting with the health department can make your life miserable.  Actively work with your local health department to ensure you are in compliance from the start, which can save time and money during construction or renovation.  If your local health department provides training and audit programs, take advantage of these offerings. 

During your inspections, do not be adversarial or belligerent with the inspector – they are just doing their job and following objective standards.  If they cite you for a violation, fix it immediately, in front of them if possible. If you do not understand why something is a violation, ask.  The inspectors should be able to give a full explanation to you and your staff as to why a certain action has the potential to make a guest sick.

Train, Train and Retrain Your Staff – As we have discussed many times before, proper staff training is the key to any restaurant’s success; food safety and sanitation training is no different.  While some critical violations can come from your physical plant, the vast majority of violations result from employees’ improper actions.  Though it is not necessary for everyone on your staff to hold a food handler’s license, your entire team from dishwasher to bartender is responsible for food safety and sanitation in your restaurant.

A strong food safety and sanitation module during employee on-boarding is crucial to reduce behaviors that result in critical violations. Additionally, restaurants should be incorporating daily food safety and sanitation reminders into regular meetings, pre-service meetings and debriefings after every shift. 

Hold Your Staff Accountable - Create a culture of accountability in relation to food safety and sanitation in your restaurant. Daily checks and walk-through’s by managers keep this important issue top of mind for everyone.  As unsexy as food safety and sanitation is, repetition is the only way to make changes in behavior stick.  Repeatedly explaining to employees why an action or inaction can make a guest sick will eventually change their behavior and allow them to know when to take self-corrective action.  Incorporating food safety and sanitation into opening and closing duties, job responsibilities and performance reviews holds everyone accountable.

Passing your health inspection with flying colors takes hard work and dedication. The return on your investment is worth every minute and penny, as we see a direct correlation between great health inspection scores and an increase in restaurant sales.  Don’t let something that you can directly control be the downfall of your restaurant.   The bad public relations of a health department violation or shut down, often highlighted in your local newspaper, are nearly impossible to recover from.

If you are doing all of these steps, but still struggling with food safety and sanitation, consider hiring an outside consultant.  A consultant can often see through the emotional drama of your business to find the root cause of your problem.  Consultants can also perform regular sanitation evaluations or walk-through’s to get you ready so your inspections aren't a surprise.

Don’t know where to begin?  4Q Consulting can develop customized business and operational guidelines to help you start and run your business.  Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2014-2015. 

Noelle E. Ifshin, President, 4Q Consulting, LLC        244 5th Avenue, Suite 1430, NY, NY 10001