8 Important Tips to Maintain Your Restaurant Kitchen’s Cleanliness
If you are having a business in the restaurant industry then you must know the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of your kitchen. Moreover during the corona pandemic, where the restaurant industry was one of the most impacted business sectors
Though now everything is slowly going back to normal, you might want to still maintain extra hygiene for your restaurant kitchen. If one thing the Corona pandemic has taught us is that remaining clean and sterile, especially in a restaurant, is important. It can help to increase the level of customer trust.
A restaurant kitchen is definitely busier than a typical home kitchen, thus making this area get dirty faster. In order to be able to maintain its cleanliness all the time, check out the important tips below!
Create a daily to-do list
The first step that you have to do is by creating a list of duties for each staff member in your restaurant. Emphasize to them that everyone shares the same responsibility for maintaining cleanliness in the work areas. They should always make it a habit to always keep the workplace tidy.
If necessary, you should also set a daily cleaning schedule for everyone to follow. Make sure all table areas, sinks, cooking utensils, and floors are cleaned after the restaurant’s operating hours end so that they are spotlessly cleaned the next day before opening hours.
Clean all cooking utensils
Make sure to always wash cooking utensils after use. Do not leave pots or pans lying around for a long time and even reuse them before cleaning. Cooking utensils are one of the most susceptible things in a restaurant kitchen that can be a breeding ground for germs.
Wash all cooking utensils and dishes with dish soap that contains antibacterial ingredients. After cleaning all the equipment, everything shall be dry with a clean cloth before putting it back.
Wash all dirty cutlery
Before washing, all leftovers should be placed in the trash first. Afterwards, clean the stains with water, then rinse with soap. Make sure when rinsing with water that there is no more soap residue on the surface of the cutlery.
Pay attention to the dishwashing sponge
Because you will use it daily to clean your utensils and cutlery, a dishwashing sponge can get dirty very fast. Clean the sponge every day and store it in a dry place, every night before you close the restaurant.
Little tips for you, you can heat a damp sponge in the microwave for 1 minute to kill all bacteria and germs. Or you can also soak your sponge in the hot water.
Pay attention to the kitchen equipment
In your restaurant kitchen you might use commercial equipment to help your chef produce the perfect dish. But these equipment tend to get dirtier because they will be used regularly. To maintain its condition as well as keep your customer healthy, you have to make sure that commercial kitchen equipment cleaning is done regularly.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the cleanliness of the stove, from the lever, and surface to the furnace. Do not let the remnants of combustion stick and accumulate. If you let it for too long, it will become very hard to clean.
The sink also should not go unnoticed and must be cleaned regularly. Never leave the remaining food in the sink. After the end of the day, brush the entire surface of the sink with a wire brush and dish soapy water.
Clean the refrigerator regularly
A refrigerator is a place where you store your food to be cooked. Thus, it should be cleaned regularly so that it does not produce a bad odor over time.
Keep the trash clean
Make sure the trash can inside your restaurant kitchen is always dry. If the inside is already full of garbage, it should be quickly removed so as not to invite flies and cause unpleasant odors running around the kitchen area.
Mop the kitchen area
With a high level of dirt and oil accumulation, the floor in the kitchen can become slippery and slimy over time. If this happens, then the kitchen staff is in a high-risk situation of experiencing accidents such as slipping and falling. Keep your staff safe by placing non-slip mats at strategic points in the kitchen. In addition, clean the kitchen by mopping it regularly with water and a floor cleaner containing a disinfectant.
Your restaurant kitchen provides an ideal environment for bacteria to breed if hygiene practices are not maintained properly. Minimizes the risk of cross-contamination and the spread of bacteria by ensuring that proper hygiene and safety are implemented. This will help not only to keep your kitchen looking clean but also to ensure the well-being of staff and your customers.
