Restaurants or food service venues have an important responsibility when preparing and serving food to their patrons. The most valuable thing a commercial kitchen can offer is a product that is safe to eat, having been stored, prepared, and cooked according to safe service practices. Health inspections are one way the local government tracks a company’s compliance with safe food practices, and even though it can cause a flurry of activity for those working during a surprise inspection, it can be seen as a way to keep the restaurant accountable to its customers. If you work as a chef or a manager, inspections don’t have to be alarming if you are continually following a comprehensive cleaning checklist. Here are three areas that often neglected in commercial kitchens.
Underneath Just About Everything
When you are in a rush to clean so you can clock out for the weekend, it can be easy to just clean the areas that look dirty. Simply running a broom or a mop just under the corners or sides of the freezer, prep stations, or grills is not enough. Items in the kitchen need to be pulled out or moved to one side in order to thoroughly clean the floor beneath. Having stainless steel roller bearings installed on your appliances or workspaces is one way to make it easier for employees to maneuver things around when they are cleaning.
Behind Just About Everything
It can be easy to forget about the back of the walls or sides of equipment that aren’t generally exposed to dirt and grime during the workday. However, grease can easily build-up behind grills and fryers, creating a major fire hazard if not thoroughly cleaned. Pulling out whatever items are pushed against the walls will help you keep those wall areas clean, but it can also bring attention to dust and dirt that might be building around fans or engines in freezers or coolers. This is a fire hazard, but it can also shorten the life of your equipment.
Inside Just About Everything
It seems obvious that everything would need to be cleaned, but wiping out the insides of the coolers, freezers, cabinets, or shelves is just as important as the outside. Pouring cleaner down floor drains and sink drains, as well as thoroughly having the interiors of the hood vents cleaned are also areas often neglected.
If you want to make sure your establishment passes the health inspection with flying colors, perhaps it’s time you paid more attention to these areas. Your customers will thank you.