In America alone, there are 48 million cases of food poisoning per year.
Every time we eat at restaurants, we are putting trust in what happens behind the kitchen doors. Many of us don’t even question the quality of the kitchen because it’s out of sight, out of mind.
On the contrary, if you’re a restaurant owner, one of your biggest responsibilities is making sure everything is clean and healthy for staff and customers. You’re always ready for the next health inspection.
If you’ve found yourself a bit flustered by health inspections, make sure to keep reading. We’ve provided a health inspection checklist for restaurants that you can follow.
Develop a Cleaning Schedule
Believe it or not, not everyone thinks to clean every day. Keep yourself and your restaurant employees accountable by developing a cleaning schedule. You’ll need a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule.
Sit down and write out everything that needs to get done in terms of cleaning. Break it down into different tiers to develop the schedule. Make sure to hang up the cleaning schedule in a clearly visible place.
As employees complete the tasks, have them sign their name and the time the task was completed. This way, you have something to reference back to if something doesn’t seem right.
Store Food Correctly
A huge part of passing food hygiene inspections is properly cleaning and storing food. It’s crucial to clean all fresh produce and make sure whatever utensils you’re using to chop are properly sanitized.
If you’re storing the produce, cheeses, meats, or anything else, make sure it’s in properly labeled containers. Make sure nothing that should be refrigerated is left sitting out.
Clean anything you are using to store ingredients frequently. This includes walk-in fridges and freezers.
Handle the Food with Care
Before placing any food on cutting boards or countertops, make sure all surfaces are properly cleaned and sanitized. Guarantee all plates, equipment, and utensils are clean as well.
As employees are handling the food, make sure they are wearing clean gloves and frequently washing their hands. Keep an eye out for cross-contamination as well. For example, someone who just handled raw meat shouldn’t reach over and grab salad greens.
Looking out for these sorts of things should definitely be on any health inspection checklist. Hold frequent meetings to review the checklist, and speak privately with anyone you see violating any of the rules. By keeping everyone accountable and clean, you’ll be able to pass a health inspection with flying colors.
Other Important Notes on the Health Inspection Checklist for Restaurants
Always keep chemicals stored safely away from food. This includes cleaning supplies.
Make sure you are keeping any trashcan clean and that employees are properly disposing of garbage. Immediately call pest control if you notice any critters trying to get into the trash.
Routinely check all plumbing to make sure there are no leaks, and call a plumber if something doesn’t seem right.
Keep Your Business Going by Keeping It Clean
Make sure to use a health inspection checklist for restaurants to keep employees and customers safe. If you don’t pass health inspections, you’re in danger of having your business shut down.
Employees should be frequently washing their hands, following cleaning schedules, and storing food correctly. Hold frequent meetings to refresh everyone on the guidelines.
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