Employees are like pieces of a puzzle. While one piece may not seem significant at first glance, a missing one will have a big impact on the final result. This is why every employee in a restaurant matters and the reason that all employees need to work together to achieve success.
Take restaurant health grades, for example.
You might think that an individual food handler doesn't have an effect on the overall success of a restaurant and its grades, but the reality couldn't be further from the truth. Let's discuss how food handlers impact restaurant health grades and what they can do to ensure that the establishment meets food safety standards.
The Role of Food Handlers
Food handlers are the backbone of any restaurant. After all, they’re responsible for tasks like preparation, cooking and serving of food—and sometimes even maintaining hygiene and safety standards in the kitchen and dining areas. As such, their actions can influence the quality of food, the safety of the food and the overall dining experience for customers. All of this combines to give food handlers a crucial role when it comes to health grades that inspectors give restaurants.
Understanding Restaurant Health Grades
If you’re not familiar with the restaurant health grade process and you’re a food handler, it’s time to fix that. Restaurant health grades are ratings given by health inspectors based on several factors like cleanliness, food safety practices and the overall hygiene of a food establishment. These grades are typically displayed prominently in restaurants, so customers are aware of the venue’s commitment to food safety. While high health grades can attract more patrons, low grades can deter them (and even lead to temporary or permanent closures).
How Food Handlers Impact Health Grades
You may be thinking “okay, I know food handlers have a general impact on health grades, but can you give me some specifics?” There are actually several examples of how food handlers impact health grades. Here are a few of them:
- Food prep and cooking: Preventing foodborne illnesses starts with properly preparing and cooking food. This is why handlers must follow precise guidelines for cooking temperatures, food storage and handling raw/cooked ingredients. Cross-contamination, undercooking and improper storage are all risks that food handlers can avoid if they focus enough—and they more effectively protect their restaurants’ health grade as a result.
- Personal hygiene: Each food handler must maintain high personal hygiene standards. This includes regular handwashing, wearing clean uniforms and using gloves when necessary. Poor personal hygiene can introduce contaminants into food, leading to health code violations and poor grades.
- Sanitation and cleanliness: The state of the kitchen and dining areas has a big impact on a restaurant’s ability to maintain high health grades. Since food handlers are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing these areas, it’s crucial those areas are thoroughly sanitized. That means work forces, utensils and equipment must be cleaned regularly to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria that could make its way to food.
- Regulation compliance: Food handlers must be knowledgeable about local food safety regulations and ensure that their practices comply with these standards. This includes understanding proper food storage temperatures, techniques for avoiding cross-contamination and how to follow proper cooking procedures.
Steps Food Handlers Can Take to Improve
Since food handlers can have such a big impact on restaurant health grades, there must be improvements in any food safety areas where they are lacking. The good news is that there are real steps food handlers can take to improve health grades, such as:
- Regular training: Continued education and training should be the initial place you turn and a proper food handler certification course is the first step. American Course Academy offers an excellent online option for this, which will help you stay updated about the latest food safety regulations and best practices to ensure that you’re prepared to meet the high standards of health grades.
- Disciplined hygiene: Your diligence should extend to yourself when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness. Do your best to wash hands regularly, clean your uniforms often and use gloves whenever you’re handling food someone else may eventually consume.
- Effective communication: Keep communicating with your team members to ensure everyone is aware of proper food safety practices. This includes labels, so when you store food, make sure it has an expiration or creation date. Also be vocal about anything that could prevent cross-contamination.
- Smart storage and handling: Knowledge about the right food temperatures and handling practices can prevent foodborne illnesses and improve health grades. Pursue training about correct storage temperatures and other best practices.
- Regular inspections and audits: Conduct regular audits and inspections, even if they’re only for yourself. Doing this regularly can help you identify potential issues before they become violations (and set you up for future success as well). Be proactive about checking for cleanliness, proper food storage and adherence to safety practices.
If you’re ready to invest in training for yourself or the food handlers at your restaurant, consider enrolling in a food handler course with American Course Academy today.
