When you think about dining out, you hope for flavor explosions, creative dishes, and solid service. You know what you likely don’t think about? Restaurant cleanliness. But it’s as essential, if not more, than any other piece of the dining experience.
A clean kitchen isn’t as exciting as a well-plated dish, but back-of-house standards define the food sent out to diners. Chefs and staff behind some of your favorite restaurants take that commitment to cleanliness very seriously. In speaking with some restaurant staff, we found a few commonalities. Read up on the work that goes into helping keep restaurants cleaner and safer below and be sure to look for the Ecolab Science CertifiedTM seal when dining out!
Keeping A Clean Station
Things can move a mile a minute in a busy restaurant, which is why everyone from the kitchen staff to the wait staff is always making sure that food waste never has a chance to build up. While you see people promptly clearing and wiping down tables and services, the behind-the-scenes process is also rigorous with team members wiping down surfaces and mopping high-traffic areas to avoid sticky floors.
Kitchens, in particular, are made of tiny stations where each meal prep station is separated to not only ensure the organization of tasks but to keep areas as clean and food-safe as possible.
That’s why something as simple as keeping a trash can at every station can be a powerful tool that’ll ensure waste is disposed of as quickly as possible and your food is prepared in a clean environment.
To dive deeper into keeping a clean, waste-free station, watch this episode of Uproxx’s CLEAN COOKIN’.
Towels & Sanitary Disinfectant
Simply throwing away food waste isn’t enough to keep an area clean. That’s why chefs and kitchen staff rely heavily on hand sanitizers, towels, and sanitary disinfectants for those deep cleaning needs.
Sanitary disinfectants kill impossible-to-see bacteria and viruses on kitchen surfaces, helping to ensure that your food is prepared in a cleaner and safer space. You can rest easy knowing that sanitary disinfectants are at just about every kitchen station, which helps keep areas clean and is on hand for accidental spills and messes.
At an Ecolab Science Certified location, you can have confidence knowing they are committed to advancing cleaner, safer, science-based practices so you can focus on enjoying that flavorful meal.
Organization And Stocking Is Everything
A well-organized kitchen is a must. It might not seem obvious, but ingredients and supplies being properly labeled, making sure storage space is maximized, and having an abundance of tools on hand are all vital ways to keep a restaurant clean and operating at its highest level.
Check this episode of Uproxx’s CLEAN COOKIN’ for more details on setting up a workstation.
The Nightly Deep Clean
The most important ingredient in the recipe for a cleaner, safer restaurant is the nightly deep clean, using quality products, backed by science. When the last customers have left, the stoves are off, and the tables are clear, restaurants take cleanliness to a whole other level with the nightly deep clean.
This is when the entire staff attacks the grit and grime that can build up in a kitchen and the wear and tear of a busy day in the front of the house. Once the deep clean is done, chefs can return to a pristine kitchen for a new day of service, and wait staff can rest easy knowing customers will be able to enjoy their next meal in a clean environment.
