Scaling a restaurant food safety program across locations can be challenging but far from impossible. Food safety is controllable if practices are integrated into daily operations.

In the restaurant world, food safety challenges and problems are to be expected. And when business is booming and the brand is growing, it’s easy to see how food safety can take a back seat to things like hiring staff, ordering equipment, and securing vendors. But when a restaurant brand begins to scale, a food safety program should also be scaled because it’s vital to business success. More locations mean a higher risk for food contamination.

As a best practice, make sure you have all your operating procedures written down and followed, including food safety program procedures. Keep in mind that each restaurant business is unique and has different needs regarding food safety. Here are some things you should consider when planning to scale a restaurant food safety program across multiple locations.

Build a Culture of Food Safety Early

Build a culture of food safety from the beginning. If restaurant owners and managers prioritize a food safety program, employees will follow suit. This culture will help avoid problems when scaling the business.

Standardize Cleaning Procedures

Create a cleaning standard that all locations must follow. Incorporate cleaning and food safety as part of the restaurant’s QA program. Develop a cleaning checklist for front of house and back of house, covering tasks during and after shifts, at the end of the day, weekly, and monthly.

For example:

• During and after shifts: Wipe and disinfect prep stations, cutting boards, and countertops
• End of the day: Clean walls and disinfect grills and cooktops
• Weekly: Clean ovens
• Monthly: Empty grease traps

Consistent Employee Training

Regular employee training is crucial for food safety. Training should cover procedures for washing hands and taking temperatures. In fact, if this training is provided on a consistent basis, then it’s more likely that staff will perform well when the health inspector shows up to do a restaurant health inspection. Other important training features should cover using disposable gloves when handling food, sanitation guidelines, and how to manage employee food and drinks.

Effective Food Storage

There are challenges and hazards associated with different types of restaurant food storage. Areas that need attention with checklists and food safety procedures include walk-in coolers, make table coolers, dry storage and freezers. Key points include:

• Protect food with plastic wrap or lids
• Secure food stored on higher shelves to prevent contamination of food on lower shelves
• Never store food on the floor

Product Rotation

Product rotation is very important in ensuring that you’re serving the freshest and safest food possible. Date and label all food, and follow the “first in, first out” protocol. Assign someone to check dates and make sure no food is held longer than seven days.

Employee Hygiene

Employee hygiene is just as important to a restaurant as food safety. As a restaurant customer, we want the people who are preparing and serving our food to look clean. We have organized nine tips for employee hygiene that you can use for a staff training on the subject. Good hygiene should always be expected from all restaurant employees.

Track of Health Department Inspection Reports

As your restaurant brand grows, it will be necessary to track health department inspections across all locations. Having one place to house the reports so that owners and managers can access them will help with a 360-degree view of what’s happening with the food safety performance in different locations.

Use Third-Party Food Safety Inspections

Consider partnering with a company that provides third-party food safety inspections. These unbiased assessments offer constructive feedback on food safety performance and help develop customized food safety programs to scale across all locations.

By following these strategies, you can successfully scale your restaurant food safety program, ensuring consistent standards and protecting your brand and customers.

Looking for more? Check out our article on 7 Essential Steps to Boost Food Safety in Your Restaurant.

Dennis Keith

Founder and Owner at Food Safety Nation and Respro Health & Safety

With more than 25 years in the restaurant industry, Dennis is passionate about helping restaurant professionals improve their businesses, whether it be for food safety, training, sustainability, sourcing new technologies for restaurants or connecting service providers with restaurant operators. You can learn more about Dennis by connecting with him on LinkedIn.