The Storm Doesn't Care About Your Dinner Rush I've worked in Florida nearly my entire professional life. I have become VERY familiar with the impact hurricanes can have — how they can take a normal…
34. Cleaning Doesn’t Manage Itself
Carlos got his first job at Cafe Italiano when he was 16. He started in Dish, moved to prep after high school, then the line, then was quickly promoted to shift lead, and eventually sous…
33. Sanitizing: Clean Isn’t Necessarily Safe
The dishmachine had been beeping all morning. The AM dishwasher tried to get the Big Boss to come take a look, but she was buried in everything else happening in the kitchen. Finally, about an…
32. CLEANING IS A SYSTEM
It's a random day in a random week. A random cook grabs a wiping cloth out of a sanitizer bucket and goes after the mess on his prep table. There is flour on it. A…
31. Pests Don’t Need a Reservation
Pests Are Not Just Gross When I was growing up, I had two younger brothers and a younger sister. At thirteen, I considered all three of them pests and would have been perfectly happy to…
30. Safe Facilities: The Water Has to Stay Clean
The Hose Nobody Thought About It's 4 AM and the overnight cleaning crew is finishing up. Floors are scrubbed, mats are up, and mops are hanging in the utility room. Then, when they are getting…
29. Before Anybody Cooks: Building a Safe Operation
Before Anybody Cooks The Ironwood Grill is scheduled to hold its grand opening celebration Saturday morning, just 18 hours from now. The dining room is set, the refrigerators are loaded, and somebody has already hung…
25. Food Safety Systems: the Foundations Beneath the Rules
Imagine a sixteen-year-old who just got his driver's license. He's not a maniac — he's a pretty good kid. He passed driver's ed. He knows what a stop sign means, knows the speed limit, knows…
28. HACCP on the Line: One Food, Seven Decisions
Before you learned to drive a car, somebody handed you a little book and made you learn the rules of the road. Stop at the red light. Stay on your side of the road. Yield…
26. Food Safety: Telling Isn’t Training
You've got a new dishwasher. Let's call him Luis. It's only his third shift, but you're already glad he's on board: he works hard, pays attention, and hasn't once acted like any job is beneath…