The Restaurant Owner's Guide to “Deep Cleaning” During the COVID-19 Crisis

 

Which sectors of the economy have suffered the most during the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, let me give you a few of them – the travel and tourism industry, as well as the manufacturing and services sector, and the restaurant industry too! But as lockdowns are slowly being eased, more hotels, restaurants and bars are slowly reopening their doors to serve customers. But, how do they ensure that their establishments are safe for clients to come to? Here's the restaurant oner's guide to deep cleaning during the COVID-19 crisis.  

Divide Complete Restaurant Cleaning Into 3 Areas

Apart from simply cleaning and disinfecting seats, toilets, cooking equipment Queensland and dining utensils, restaurant owners should also learn to divide the complete and thorough cleaning process into 3 areas or color-coded stages – Green, Yellow and Red. 

When it's Green, the restaurant undertakes the standard COVID-19 prevention measures, like maintain conventional hygiene and sanitizing/disinfection practices. If it's Yellow, it means that there's a potential for an outbreak in the geographic area where the restaurant is located. 

Thus, the restaurant owner and staff undertake procedures to respond to a potential outbreak in their establishment, to break the chain of infection. This includes a more thorough sanitation and disinfection of the restaurant premises including the kitchen and all the cooking equipment  Queensland. 

Red means proactive remediation, which happens if there's a publicly-declared COVID-19 outbreak in the area where the restaurant is located. With proactive remediation, the restaurant owner constantly monitors the health of all employees, disinfects the whole premises along with all cooking equipment Queensland with EPA-certified disinfectants. The restaurant crew also washes and sanitizes all food contact surfaces and equipment, as well as change all utensils on a more regular basis.   

The restaurant staff also makes sure that all hand sinks are accessible and are not blocked. These should also be stocked with soap, clean paper towels and warm water. For disinfection, extra focus should be placed on all frequently-touched objects in the dining area. These includes door knobs, door handles, push plates, railings, cash register machines, light and air-control switches, faucets, toilet flush levers and all cooking equipment Queensland.  

Restaurant Owners Need to Remember That COVID-19 is a Respiratory Virus

Restaurant owners and workers must always remember that COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, and is therefore not a food-borne infection or ailment. However, similar proactive measures must still be taken by the facility, and this includes not working when sick, proper hand-washing and thorough disinfection. 

All the standard COVID-19 prevention measures must constantly be reinforced or updated by all restaurant owners and staff, and they should also regularly inculcate the culture of food safety in their establishments. 

Apart from this, restaurants and bars should also share prevention steps and best practices not just with each other, but with the local health departments too. This enables them to plan holistic policies and regulations that helps the industry to safely reopen, and serve their customers once again.

The Basic Equipment Checklist for Commercial Kitchens

 

What's a kitchen? And why are kitchens important in our lives? Kitchens are defined as rooms or places where food is prepared and cooked. The origins of the term can be traded to the old Latin verb “coquere”, which means “to cook”. “Coquere” later became “coquina”, and in Middle English it became “kichene” and finally “kitchen”! But when it comes to a commercial setting (like restaurants), kitchens serve as the brain or the nerve center of operations.  Read on to learn more about the basic equipment checklist for commercial kitchens. 

What You Need to Outfit a Restaurant Kitchen

Perhaps both neophyte and experienced restaurant owners know that kitchens are the heart and brain of its successful operations. So, when things fall apart in the kitchen, this leads to a domino effect which eventually wrecks the whole restaurant. 

For restaurants, the basic commercial kitchen equipment Brisbane checklist includes items like an oven, range, deep fryer, reach-in cooler, walk-in cooler, freezer, saute pans, stock and soup pots, saucepans, baking sheets, baking pans, pizza screens, tongs and spatulas. 

The other basic commercial kitchen equipment Brisbane includes ladles, metal and plastic shelves, chef's knives, mixing bowls, pasta bowls, appetizer plates, salad plates, dessert plates, whisks, cleaning rags, cleaning buckets, rubber floor mats, hand soap and sanitizer dispensers, steam table, entree plates and fire extinguishers (to put out fires).  

Depending on the kitchen's size, as well as the restaurant's concept, the establishment's owner or head chef may not need all of the items listed above. Nevertheless, the restaurant owner must ensure that they consider every aspect of their kitchen layout and menu plan as they create their own commercial kitchen equipment Brisbane list. 

The Costs of Building a Commercial Kitchen

In a restaurant setting, the kitchen is considered as one of the biggest expenses. While getting a $200,000 loan might look like a lot of money when setting up a kitchen and buying all the required commercial kitchen equipment Brisbane, this amount can quickly run out even after you've just invested in new (or used) ranges, ovens, grills and coolers! 

If you buy new kitchen equipment, remember that these items can depreciate (just like a new car or motorcycle), especially the moment they leave the showroom or appliance center. Thus, one great way to save cash during the kitchen startup process would be to either lease or buy used (but good quality) kitchen equipment. 

One of the best places to buy used (but still good quality) commercial kitchen equipment Brisbane would be at restaurant auctions, where you could find stuff like bread baskets, flatware, dishware  serving utensils and other items for pennies! 

Just keep in mind that purchasing used kitchen equipments doesn't come with a warranty, although this shouldn't serve as a deal-breaker or a source of discouragement (Although you still need to factor this into what you're willing to pay for your kitchen!). 

And when buying new or used kitchen equipment, remember that the salesperson will try to sell you more than what you need. So, make sure you only get what you truly need!