Staying Productive & Other Tips for the Foodservice Industry When Dealing with the Coronavirus

Many restaurants, bars, and other foodservice establishments have been forced to close to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. While this shutdown will prevent you from going about business as usual, Rapids has brought together several of our former blog posts that can help you and your staff stay productive and safe during this time.

Proper handwashing techniques are always important, but during an outbreak like this it never hurts to go over the necessary steps again with your staff.

1. Wet hands with clean, warm running water
2. Add soap and lather for 10-15 seconds
3. Rinse with clean, warm running water
4. Dry hands with a clean towel or air dryer

Enhanced facilities cleaning will help prevent the spread of the coronavirus as well. Our Leap Day newsletter covered some products that are frequently used in spring cleaning and sanitation.

Takeout and delivery is fast becoming the only option many Americans have to "dine out." If your establishment is now offering delivery/takeout services, you may need to re-arrange your current kitchen workflow so your to-go order processing is as smooth as possible. In this article, Rapids put together some recommendations for order processing, packaging, holding, and pickup that you may find helpful as you restructure your to-go order system.

Another important component of takeout and delivery is your delivery bag - it's essential to ensuring you have a satisfied customer. While many of our delivery bags are specifically labelled for pizza, they will provide superior heat retention and moisture control for just about any food you want to deliver!

This advice applies to consumers as well! Since you will be getting takeout for the foreseeable future, why not get a insulated bag for yourself? And while you're there, pick up a gift card - many restaurants and other businesses need the extra influx of cash now, and you will be able to spend it whenever you want!

Reorganizing is a great use of your time when you are not cleaning or preparing to-go orders. There are a few simple techniques you can use to create an effective storage system, including sorting menu items by sale popularity, keeping meats on the lowest shelf to reduce the possibility of contamination, and more!