Sanitation and safety are two topics some food and beverage managers ignore at their considerations of operations. If an outbreak of food poisoning can be traced to your operation, the costs in human suffering, salaries and productivity (if a guest or employee becomes ill), medical and hospital expenses, bad publicity, and lost business can be devastated. The cost in human suffering, and the monetary cost to the operation, can also be great if a guest or a worker is injured on your property because unsafe conditions.

SANITATION AND SAFETY IN FOOD & BEVERAGEOPERATION

Sanitation must be addressed at every stage of the food handling process. Serious illness and even death can be caused by the failure to follow simple, basic, food sanitation procedures. Safety concerns are just as vital. Food & beverage managers have a personal, professional, and legal responsibility to provide safe conditions for employees and guests.

SANITATION

Food products must be purchased, received, stored, prepared, and served under sanitary conditions. Clean equipment must be used and sanitary work habits must be practiced. One of the most important duties as a food and beverage managers is to make sure that the food being served to guests is safe and wholesome.

WHAT CAUSES UNSAFE FOOD?

In order to serve food and beverage, you must know what causes food to become unsafe. The are two causes of unsafe food:Chemical poisoning occurs when toxic substances contaminate foods or beverages. Chemicals may be added before the food reaches the restaurant.Harmful germs when the food has in inappropriate manners to handled or prepared by workers do not clean hands, etc.

MANAGEMENT ROLE IN SANITATION AND SAFETY PROGRAMS

The development of sanitation and safety programs really begins with a commitment from management. Managers have the ultimate responsibility for developing, implementing, and monitoring the property’s sanitation and safety efforts. The role of managers includes:1.- incorporating sanitation and safety practices into operating procedures.2.- ensuring that sanitation and safety concerns take priority over convenience.3.- training employees in sanitary and safe work procedures.4.- conducting sanitation and safety inspections.5.-when necessary completing accident reports, assisting investigations, and doing whatever is necessary to ensure that problems are quickly corrected.6.- when necessary assisting in treatment and seeking medical assistance for injured employees or guests.7.- reporting needed repairs or maintenance, changes in work procedures, or other conditions that are potential problems.8.- conducting sanitation and safety meetings.9.- urging the active participation of all staff members in solving sanitation and safety problems.

FACILITY DESIGN, LAYOUT AND EQUIPMENT

A food and beverage service facility design and layout have a great impact on its appeal to guests and employees.Because an operation designed, layout, and equipment influence how profitable it will be, owners are also concerned with these factors. Design and layout affect capital costs. If more space is designed into the facility than is needed, capital and labor costs will be greater than necessary. Unnecessary operating costs for servicing the extra space (heating, ventilating, air conditioning, cleaning and maintenance, etc.) will be incurred.

THE PLANNING PROCESS

Planning facility’s construction or remodeling should focus on the following goals:

1.- management negotiates the best price possible for contracted labor, building materials, furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

2.- the remodeled facility appeals to guests and employees.

3.- there is a maximum return on investment.

4.- the facility provides safe working space for employees and public access space to guests.

5.- design and layout take sanitation issues into account.

6.- facility design makes employees supervision and other management activities easy.

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS

There are many steps and people involved in the planning process. The commitment of capital funds is likely to be substantial, the amount of planning to help ensure that project goals are met without surprises also involves a substantial time commitment.

THE PLANNING TEAM

The first step is to form a planning team, owners, general managers, food & beverage managers, chef, architect will be part of this team. After planning team is place, must develop concepts and ideas for the facility, the kitchen, type of facility, size, hours of operation, menu, etc.

REDESIGN THE KITCHEN

Plans to redesign the kitchen should have be taken in consideration the following:

1.- Take in consideration to reduce physical fatigue to the workers, space, distance, etc.

2.- Noise, can be minimized with soundproofing materials and quiet equipment.

3.- Lighting, installed adequate lighting in the preparations areas.

4.- Temperature, kitchens areas can be hot.

5.- Government safety codes.

DESIGN FACTORS

KITCHEN AND RESTAURANT FACTORS INCLUDE:

COST THE MENU

FOOD QUANTITY

FOOD QUALITY

EQUIPMENT

UTILITIES

SPACE

SANITATION AND SAFETY

TYPE OF SERVICE

PROVIDING AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE FOR GUESTS

1.-Standard operating procedures producing and serving a quality product consistently is a prerequisite for success in the food and beverage business. Standard operating procedures are essential tools in the battle for consistency because they detail exactly what must be done.

2.- Training staff to properly welcome and serve the guests is one of the main responsibilities of dining room or food and beverage managers.

Team work cooperation and good communication between kitchen, bar, and servers are essential to the success of any restaurant.

PREOPENING CONCERNS AND ACTIVITIES

While every restaurant is unique, there are basic concerns that are common to all and certain tasks are typically performed before any restaurant is opened to guests. These include:

1.- Inspecting facilities2.- Following reservation procedures3.- Assigning food servers stations.4.- Performing side work5.- Holding food server meetings

Providing guest service

Guests should be welcomed cordially as they enter the restaurant, by a host, maître, captain, servers, if the restaurant accepts reservations, the guest should be asked whether they have made one.

Seating may be handled by the same person who welcomes the guests.

Always provide the best available table.

A SERVICE SEQUENCE

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

• There are a multitude of concerns in serving what to do when a guest is in a hurry, when a guest complains, when difficult, etc. The restaurant have to be establish procedures and policies to handle properly normally is something that to be handle by managers or supervisor personnel.

• For the service of alcoholic beverage have be take in considerations different procedures to give a satisfies service and his establish by managers restaurants all the procedures of work and serves the drinks, wines, etc.