Outside the Commercial Kitchen: Food Safety While Catering
July 7, 2018Many restaurants and other eating establishments like to provide catering for special events. Catering a huge business, worth over $53 billion per year.
Catering allows your restaurant to reach customers who might never set foot in your establishment otherwise. It’s incredible marketing, and rather than spending money, you’re making money!
However, if you want to make a great impression, you need to keep food safe. This requires some special equipment because you’re not in your normal commercial kitchen. Here are the steps to take.
Avoid Cross Contamination During Prep
You may be prepping onsite, or you may be creating the food in your own commercial kitchen and then bringing it to the event. Regardless, it’s vital to keep food separate and surfaces clean during the prep and cooking.
Use different cutting boards for different foods, disinfect and wash regularly, and ensure everyone washes their hands. Keeping food safe during preparation is the first line of defense for keeping guests safe!
Prepare for Careful Transportation
Keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold can be most challenging during transport. Hopefully both your commercial kitchen and the catering location has heating and cooling equipment, but the vehicle on the way may not.
If you don’t have commercial coolers to bring in a van or vehicle, make sure to pack cold food carefully with ice or frozen cold packs. Hot foot can be insulated so that it doesn’t lose heat.
Be sure you take into account the temperature outside. On very hot days, cold food needs more attention, and vice versa. However, never assume that the outside temperature will keep a particular type of food safe. You need 145 degrees for hot food and 40 degrees or less for cold.
Have Proper Equipment at the Catering Site
Once you’re on site, be sure you have the equipment you need. That includes chafing dishes, ice, and onsite refrigeration. You want to make sure that you know how much food is needed, so that only a specific amount of food is out at a time.
Of course, if there isn’t on-site refrigeration or heating, you have a bigger challenge. Being outdoors is even harder. If you face these additional challenges, be sure to scout the site beforehand. Find out if you can bring portable equipment from your commercial kitchen and perhaps plug it in. Many park gazebos have at least one outlet.
Use Well-Trained Staff When Outside the Commercial Kitchen!
When you provide catering, bring your best – both in food and in staff! Your employees should be well trained in both hospitality and food safety.
Food temps should be measured regularly, and anything outside the safety zone should be removed promptly. At the same time, your employees should be excellent at customer service and soothing frazzled nerves.
You never know what’s going to happen. When your staff is ready for every eventuality with poise and a smile, the catering event will be an incredible promotion for your business.
Do you need kitchen equipment for your commercial kitchen or catering operation? We’d love to help. Contact us for a quote today!
Why Your Restaurant Needs an App
We know, you’re a restaurant owner, not a developer or programmer. Let other people worry about apps, you just want to run your restaurant! The truth is if you want to have a successful establishment, you have to take advantage of the technology that brings people in....
Choosing the Right Sink for Your Restaurant
There are many, many pieces of kitchen equipment that are vital but often taken for granted. The kitchen sink is one of them. This workhorse of the back of the house handles a lot of jobs. Sinks give you running water as well as a place to wash either food or dishes....
Restaurant Supplies You Need to Add Delivery
Delivery services are becoming more and more popular, and that’s generally good news for restaurants. The ability to order online and receive food in the comfort of home drives up sales and that’s good for revenue. And when these sales don’t require additional tables,...
Should You Add a Salad Bar to Your Restaurant?
New Year’s is a prime time for resolutions – and one of the most common is to eat healthier and lose weight. In fact, for 2018 45% of Americans said they wanted to lose weight or get in shape for the new year. The new year might have you eyeing new options for your...
How to Overcome the Seasonal Rollercoaster
Are you tired of having huge swings in your business throughout the year? Do you wish you could just have consistent, easy-to-predict income? If so, it’s time for you to get off of the seasonal rollercoaster. You might think there’s nothing you can do to overcome the...
The Restaurant Supplies and Strategies You Need in 2019
Are you ready for the new year? If you’re like many restaurant owners, you’re thinking about how to get through the holiday rush – both in your restaurant and in your own life. However, you can’t overlook planning for the future. It’s vital to make sure you have the...
2018 Cooking Equipment Holiday Gift Guide
Do you know someone who loves to cook? Or are you looking for a new, special piece of cooking equipment for yourself? Whether you’re interested in home cooking or you run a restaurant, you can benefit from these gift ideas. These great cooking items will thrill...
Accommodating the Keto Diet at Your Restaurant
The keto diet – a low-carb, high-fat combination – has been gaining a lot of traction in the last couple of years. As a restaurant, it’s vital that you are able to accommodate your diners’ needs. More than that, having popular options on the menu can help bring people...
Restaurant Supplies You Need to Prepare for a Power Outage
It happens to all of us. You’re going on, doing just fine, and suddenly…Dark. The power is out. And of course, you have no idea how long it will last. Fortunately, you have the restaurant supplies and process in place to weather the storm without losing your...
Considerations when Converting a Food Truck to a Restaurant
Your food truck has been successful, and you have a loyal following. So loyal, in fact, that you struggle to serve them all each day. Customers have started to ask you when you’re going to open a restaurant. It started as a teasing suggestion, but it’s become more...
How to Incorporate Curbside Service in Your Restaurant
Are you looking for creative ways to grow your business without also growing your expenses? Are you interested in strategies that can start making a difference today, not just a year from now? If so, then
Tips for Great Plating & Why it Matters
You may have heard that we “eat with our eyes” before we physically eat food. That’s why pictures are so important – on menus, in cookbooks, online, and more. It isn’t just a gimmick – the truth is that the way food looks and smells actually changes our experience of...
Be Proactive: Assess and Address Risks in Your Restaurant
As a restaurant owner or manager, you have a lot on your mind. You want employees to show up on time and ready to give great service. You want your food to be well-stocked, high quality, and ready to use. You need cooks to be attentive and customers to be clear in...
How to Reduce Noise From Restaurant Equipment and More
Having a popular restaurant is wonderful. You have a lot of guests, tables turn over quickly, and you and your employees make a lot of good money every night. However, sometimes popular spots can get low ratings for a simple reason – they’re too loud! It’s not an...
Foodservice Equipment Gone Wrong: When the POS Crashes
The point of sale (POS) system that you have helps you keep your restaurant running smoothly. It helps you track inventory, sales, and revenue. It allows your staff to create checks, swipe cards, and keep tables turning. The POS is a lifesaver – until it isn’t. Maybe...