In 2012, it was found that one in three people responsible for hygiene in a restaurant was not qualified to manage it! Authorities found serious issues with temperature control, contamination and food poisoning. Moreover, it was found that transporting food also posed hygiene issues with the lack of the appropriate temperature required for the same. And then, in 2013, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority visited two restaurants in Al Wahda Mall and found water on the floor, kitchen maintenance being done during cooking, kitchen workers lacking in personal hygiene, etc thwarting all possible food safety and hygiene laws. 

It is, thereby evident that apart from the quality of food, the most important aspect of a restaurant when it comes to the possibility of customer loyalty is the hygiene and cleanliness in the restaurant as well as the kitchen! Lack of cleanliness not only impacts the reputation of the restaurant but also the health of its patrons and employees.

Kitchen hygiene

One of the first steps to ensure kitchen hygiene is impeccably trained restaurant staff and strong and efficient operating procedures. Attitude and sensitivity to the issue also play a huge role; cleanliness and hygiene should be regarded as a priority. Finally, the use of effective cleaning products and following proper cleaning procedures help restaurants meet the desired standards for cleanliness.

The dining area is the first space of the restaurant that is visible to customers, and if perceived as unclean immediately puts off customers. However, it is the kitchen that is trickier; unless it is an open kitchen space, it is away from the sight of the customers and can easily become dirty. As such, the kitchen is exposed to a number of contaminants. Chefs, cooks, servers and other staff have access to the kitchen, and they could potentially contaminate food products. Keeping uncooked food on dirty surfaces or uncovered can also pose serious health risks. The cleanliness of the floors is also important.

With increasing focus on kitchen hygiene and safety across the hospitality industry in the UAE and globally, one of the top fast-food chains across the World – McDonald’s - ensures a strict hygiene regime. Rafic Fakih, Managing Director and Partner at McDonald’s UAE says, “Quality customer experience involves a combination of friendly and professional employees, good food, fast service and great hygiene. While all of the factors are important, hygiene can quickly and easily ruin any customer’s experience. When working with food, lack of hygiene can easily contaminate food with germs and bacteria, a risk that McDonald’s UAE refuses to take. The health and safety of the customers is our primary concern, followed by the continuous delivery of quality food.”

Keeping QSRs clean at all times is a big challenge because of the constant customer traffic. Hot Brands International is another large player in the Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) segment in the UAE. It runs multiple brands such as Shamiana, Santino’s, Magic Wok, Sugoi and Sala Thai. Shakti Prasad Upadhyaya, Multi Unit Manager, Hot Brands International, has been instrumental in achieving the Abu Dhabi Municipality Grade-A ratings for Hot Brands restaurants in hygiene and cleanliness. He says, “Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene within any food establishment is vital to the success and reputation of any business, as well as being a requirement by law. Customers want to feel at ease when dining out, therefore strict hygiene guidelines are a necessity to ensure the return of those patrons and the recommendations that follow as a result of that.”

Upadhyaya also said, “We are lucky to be in an environment where the local health authorities are constantly endeavouring to implement world class safety and hygiene measures. We actually thrive in such an environment, as we are very passionate about maintaining food safety and hygiene across all of our stores.” Besides implementing guidelines that have been laid down by governing bodies, Hot Brands also partners with vendors and authorities at any given opportunity to introduce and experiment with new technologies and products that raise hygiene standards.

With that knowledge in hand, the brand has adopted practices for both its Quick Service and Casual Dining restaurants, which ensure that no area of the outlets or restaurants is treated any differently. A customer seating area is just as important as a food preparation area and requires the necessary level of hygiene standards.

Cleaning tasks adopted

Fakih talks about the cleaning tasks that are paid special attention to. He says, “We want our guests to visit our restaurants because they are always clean and inviting. McDonald’s worldwide has developed many great resources and guides to assign crew members to various cleaning and maintenance tasks in a step-by-step manner. These include tasks that need to be done throughout the day, for example, cleaning all the windows daily, cleaning the ceiling and baseboards, etc. The shift managers always follow up to ensure that cleaning tasks are completed to meet and exceed McDonald’s standards.”

Ensuring that all of the brand’s employees are trained and knowledgeable on food safety is also critical to the brand’s success. One of its training requirements is to make sure that all restaurant management staff (including all shift managers and crew) are trained and verified in food safety. All restaurants are expected to follow and execute the food safety procedures 100 per cent, because doing so is vital for serving safe food to the customers

At McDonald’s standard operating procedures various checklists are followed, which include:

• Daily food safety checklist: Critical control point checks such as temperature and cooking are completed and documented at least once per day.
• Pre-shift checklist: Procedural elements of the food safety programme are checked on a shift-by-shift basis.
• Monthly food safety procedures verification checklist: The Restaurant Manager and operation consults, verifies and    documents once per month.

While the SOPs may be in place in several eateries, it is the peak hours that test the actual hygiene practices of a kitchen. Upadhyaya shares, “The provision of adequate equipment, along with the correct operational flow and training plays a huge part in maintaining sanitation and hygiene procedures even during peak hours. These are issues that must be identified as early as the drawing submission phase, to ensure that systems are not compromised in any way.”

Safety incentives

There is a strong international emphasis on the food industry right now, be it for health and dietary requirements, new food innovations or food as a hobby. With so much competition, keeping a restaurant clean and hygienic is certainly an added advantage. As Upadhyaya reckons, “What is seen in our surroundings is a reflection of ourselves.”

Given that the GCC countries have strict guidelines, restaurants are constantly on their feet. Municipal inspections constantly take place; however, there are obviously no fixed timings or schedules. According to Fakih, “In 2011, RAK Municipality made it mandatory for all food establishments to have an HACCP system in place (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), and we complied with this requirement in all our stores located in Ras Al Khaimah.” He adds that AUH started an HACCP pilot programme in 2014, of which McDonald’s was a part, and the brand is working closely with the AUH Food Control Authority (ADFCA) to accomplish this task before April 2015 (AUH & Al Ain). Fakih continues, “Fujairah will start an HACCP programme this year by requesting all food establishments to be HACCP certified, and in Sharjah, similarly, eateries will have to be HACCP certified after being GHP audited and certified by Sharjah Municipality.”

“Being within a food environment, one is faced with many challenges on a daily basis; however, we try to counteract on those as much as possible by the implementation of systems and ensuring that the teams receive the required training and tools to effectively ensure those systems are followed.” With technology ever evolving, along with international requirements in this sector, it would serve restaurants well to endeavour to keep abreast of the latest of news, products and developments in restaurant hygiene!