Jeremy Bennett from Tork manufacturer Essity looks at various ways of speeding up cleaning and hygiene in the kitchen to help ease pressures on hospitality staff.
Restaurants are chronically understaffed, and this situation is only getting worse.
A recent study of more than 700 UK companies revealed that 8.3% of hospitality workers left the sector between August and September 2022. This was said to be the highest percentage of industry staff losses since 15.6% left their jobs in March 2020.
The restaurant sector has been particularly badly hit, according to the study by inventory and workforce management provider, Fourth. A total of 9.8% of employees left their restaurant jobs during summer 2022 – a figure second only to pubs, which lost 10.8% of their staff members.
This mass exodus has created huge difficulties for the hospitality industry. Venues are struggling to provide a consistently high level of service but with fewer staff members to deliver it. This means employees are being rushed off their feet on a daily basis.
Cutting corners is not an option, however. The cost-of-living crisis has led to a general reluctance among the public to splash out on treats, which means today’s diners expect high quality and good value when eating out.
Busy staff will inevitably have less time for important protocols such as surface cleaning and hand hygiene, but skimping on such essentials would be disastrous for their business. Failing to adhere to proper cleaning and hand hygiene regimes could lead to food poisoning, unhappy customers and a significant loss of reputation on the part of the restaurant. All hospitality venues need to be seen to be clean in the wake of the global pandemic.
A recent survey carried out by the Institute of Grocery Distribution revealed that health and safety concerns were the biggest barrier to eating out for nervous diners, with 81% of respondents claiming they would need to feel confident about a restaurant’s hygiene measures before venturing inside.
So, how can cleaning and hand hygiene be carried out more efficiently while also ensuring that diners feel safe? The answer is: by ensuring that the right equipment is always provided close at hand.
When a spill occurs in a kitchen, it’s important to clean it up swiftly – otherwise a floor spill could quickly become a slipping hazard, while a messy surface might lead to cross-contamination or food spoilage.
Loose paper rolls are often provided for general wiping applications and these will be picked up and used by any operative who needs them, then set aside. This means wiping rolls will be constantly being moved from A to B – and no-one will know where to lay their hands on one when its use becomes critical. Staff will then need to spend valuable seconds hunting around for a wiper. It makes sense to ensure that wipers are located in convenient positions and that they are easy to spot.
Tork Performance dispensers can be wall-mounted and are available in eye-catching turquoise and white units for the kitchen. Designed for use in food preparation areas is the Tork Reflex Single Sheet Centrefeed system, which fully encloses the roll to protect it from dirt and damp before use. The wall-mounted system has a rotating nozzle which allows the paper to be pulled out swiftly from any angle, speeding up cleaning when time is of the essence. Tork Reflex can also be supplied in a portable dispenser.
Hand hygiene can also be practised more efficiently when handwashing stations are plentiful and conveniently located. All soap and paper dispensers should be easy to use and kept well stocked at all times. They should also be quick to refill to ensure a constant supply of product.
The Tork Skincare Dispenser has been designed to require a particularly low push-force for ease of use. Each refill houses 2,500 shots of Tork Foam Soap – more than twice the amount of an average liquid soap dispenser – which means the dispenser is less likely to run out when a hand wash is urgently needed. A new cartridge takes just seconds to snap into place to ensure a constant supply.
Drying is a vital part of any hand hygiene regime too, since damp hands transmit more than double the amount of bacteria as dry hands. Air dryers rarely feature in kitchen wash stations because they take at least 10 seconds to dry the hands. However, the wrong type of paper towel dispenser can also slow up the hand drying process.
For example, low-capacity C-fold towel dispensers will run out too quickly, forcing staff members to waste valuable seconds trying to locate a towel elsewhere. Cleaners in charge of refilling these units may decide to compensate for their lower capacity by ‘over-stuffing’ dispensers with more towels than they should hold. This makes it difficult for the user to pull out one towel from the bottom, causing frustration while also wasting valuable seconds.
The Tork Matic Hand Towel Roll dispenser works well in the kitchen because it holds sufficient towels for up to 1,400 hand dries, and dispenses the towels in a seamless operation.
Also particularly suitable for use in kitchens is the Tork Performance Washstation dispenser. This has a capacity of up to 250m and gives out wipers one at a time to reduce consumption and optimise hygiene. The dispenser has a clear back plate for easy mounting and a splashproof hood to protect the product before use. To save time in a busy kitchen, the units can withstand high temperature spraydowns without the need to be covered or removed from the wall.
While restaurant staff need to have the right cleaning and hygiene tools to hand, they also need to reassure diners that their premises are safe. Frequent wipedowns of all tables and seats will demonstrate to guests that they are in a hygienic environment. The washrooms should also be spotless, with continuous access to soap and paper.
Hand sanitisers located at entrances will further help to inspire confidence. Products such as the Tork Alcohol Gel Hand Sanitiser will give diners the opportunity to cleanse their hands before eating, while also providing reassurance.
A combination of high prices, staff shortages and customer caution following the pandemic are squeezing hospitality venues at every turn, but efficiencies will be significantly enhanced if all cleaning and hygiene equipment is fit for purpose, and if the tools for the task are to be found in the right place and at the right time.
