As more takeaways open to walk-in customers and restaurants look tentatively at reopening from next month, maintaining the highest hygiene standards is imperative, says Garry Rosser, KFE School of Frying Excellence trainer and owner of The Scallop Shell and The Oyster Shell in Bath.
“It’s important to operate hygienically, even without covid. The bottom line is people are coming in and putting their health in our hands so we have a responsibility to make sure those people are safe. And there are many ways we can do that.”
Take your temperatures
I’ve got infrared thermometers so when we first go into work we take our temperatures and ask if anyone has any symptoms. It gives us all peace of mind, knowing no one has any symptoms or a fever, and means we feel relatively safe.
No to gloves
If you touch your face or any part of your body with gloves on, your brain doesn’t automatically tell you to wash your hands. But if you do it without gloves on, your brain tells you to wash them, it’s just instinct. It’s different if you’re using gloves for prep reasons, but for safety reasons I wouldn’t recommend them.
Declutter
One of the first things I did when I reopened the takeaway was move everything off the work surfaces so they are free from clutter. The microwave, the cans of oil, they were all moved so I could sanitise the full work surface and know that every part is clean.
Stock what you need
Stock less by ordering what you need. Not only will stock rotation be a lot easier, but you’ll find cleaning much easier and quicker too.
Record digitally
Replace your paper checklists and records with a digital system checker. There are lots of simple ones out there (we use iAuditor), they don’t cost a lot of money and they make life a lot easier. All the results are saved to the cloud so you won’t have any paperwork and when the EHO comes in, it’s all there – it can’t get destroyed or lost. I also get an alert if a check hasn’t been done, so I can phone up the takeaway and ask why they haven’t done their safety checks today.
A final sanitise
Once you’ve cleaned down at the end of the day, give everything a final sanitise. The fridge doors, the surfaces, anywhere people have been putting their hands, and re-sanitise as soon as you enter the takeaway the next morning.
Keep teams together
If you’re opening on reduced hours ensure the safety of your staff by keeping the same team members working together. For example, we’re open four days a week so rather than bring 16 back part-time, I’ve got four on full-time so we’re not mixing who we’re working with.
Hygiene and safety in fish and chip shops is just one aspect covered at the KFE School of Frying Excellence. To find out about all the courses we run, as well as our in-shop training, contact the office today on 01778 380 448 or e-mail sales@kfeltd.co.uk