When you start at a restaurant, the first thing that you have to do is learn the rules about cross contamination. Everybody from the dishwasher to the head chef is trained in these rules, as most of their products are going to reach eager patrons. The front of the house, however, might not receive such an education, but they’re touching everything in the house as well. They're touching things all day too. Door handles, menus, table settings, glasses, plates, cloths to wipe down things, and so much more get touched. Practically anything but the food!
Germs are insidious. Without proper checks, they spread everywhere and something that a server picked up can spread all the way around the restaurant if certain precautions aren’t taken. Even though you can’t stop the customers from spreading their own contagions, you can still take precautions on your end to make sure that there are no cross-contamination issues on your end. Here are some suggestions about cross-contamination that you can take.
1. Wash hands and/or use sanitizer regularly
All employees should wash their hands first thing when they come into a restaurant and every time they use the restroom. Sometimes that's not enough though. Hand sanitizer should also be used often throughout the shift so that servers and bartenders don't cross contaminate illness from one customer to others.
2. If it’s touched, it should be sanitized
Every few hours, the front of the house should do things like sanitize the door handles, furniture, and the faces of the menus. Anything that doesn't get wiped down immediately like a table surface should get a cleaning a few times during the day. This will cut down the amount of illness in the restaurant. Mangers can set up a tracking system for accountability.
3. Switch from wipes to towels
Towels are the old standby, but over the course of a shift they become contaminated. Instead, use sanitizing wipes along with a towel wipe for scrubbing tables. Use separate buckets for detergent and sanitizer solution, and don't mix the towels between the two!
By slightly changing the cleaning and sanitizing habits between the front and back of the house, you can prevent illness from spreading throughout the restaurant.
