COVID-19 has been the cause of many adjustments made by businesses on how they provide their services. Restaurants are one of the most affected businesses that must undergo change to adapt to COVID-19 to serve food safely. This is not only during, but post COVID-19 as well. The reason here is that many people are still worried about their safety and personal hygiene. This is why they don’t want to get affected by the bacteria and the diseases that can occur due to improper food handling.

The entire staff is responsible for ensuring the safety of the customers and themselves. The cashiers – who are the first potential point of contact – are not the only ones who need to be careful, but everyone needs to abide by the new rules and regulations. Before even starting work, the staff should undergo a health and wellness check. This is the first step to adapting to the new COVID-19 world.

The next most essential factor to prevent the resurface of COVID-19 is social distancing. These rules can be implemented in restaurants through many ways. To ensure guidelines are followed, restaurants should add signs and indicators on the floors for customers to maintain a safe distance while in line. Also, restaurants should not allow indoor or outdoor seating to prevent people from lingering and gathering.

One way to enable customers to still enjoy their favourite foods is providing them with the option of take out or delivery. This eliminates any self-serve options that allow for more high-contact areas, and customers accumulating in the restaurant beyond the allowed capacity. This also allows the food to undergo as little unnecessary handling as possible. The workers will solely be responsible for handling the food before the customer, and with proper training, can provider a better standard of food safety.

Another essential factor is ensuring to maintain a contactless service. Reduced interaction between a customer and employees is highly emphasized. This can be put into place while the cashier is interacting with the customer while handling money or accepting payment. A protective screen between the customer and employee is also important. Restaurants are also encouraged to keep hand sanitizer accessible for customers before entering the restaurant, and once money is handled.

Above all, safe food handling and manufacturing is a very important process, which must be performed using the proper safety measures. For this, it is mandatory for the team to have the skills of proper food handling. This not just prevents food-borne diseases, but also ensures safety against the spread of bacteria or diseases like COVID-19

All these precautions are taken in order to ensure no cross contamination occurs between the customer and the employee. Learn more about many other types of cross contamination through our Food Handlers Certificate Course and Food Delivery Course. Have a look at our food safety and food delivery courses available to help you make a positive impression when you want to grow higher as a trusted brand in the food industry.