4 Ways for Family-Owned Restaurants to Keep Food Fresh

It is essential for family-owned restaurants to keep their food fresh during and after the pandemic. Keeping your food fresh ensures that customers are going to keep coming back to your restaurant. Here are four ways you can keep the food in your family-owned restaurant fresh.

Label the Food

It is important to label all food that is delivered to your restaurant with an expiration or “best used by” date. Next, the food should be organized by date to ensure everything is used before it is set to expire. This way, everyone in your kitchen knows what food and ingredients to use for orders first. It also reminds the staff to check the food that is closer to the expiration date to ensure it has not already expired.

Temperature Control

Whether you are storing milk, vegetables or kaiser buns, it is important to ensure the storage area is set to the right temperature. One example is your refrigerator, which should be set at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are storing homemade kaiser buns, they should be wrapped in aluminum foil or a plastic storage bag to be stored at room temperature.

Airtight Containers

Once the air comes into contact with your food, the food is going to start to spoil. This is why it is important to keep the food in containers with airtight lids. You want to stock up on enough airtight containers for all your food, but it never hurts to ensure you have enough aluminum foil and storage bags as well. The containers, foil, and bags also protect the food from contamination such as bacteria.

Avoid Overstocking

Your refrigerator and freezer are not going to work properly if these spaces are overcrowded. It may be tempting to stock these spaces to stay ahead of the game. However, overstocking these spaces could cause the food to fall below suggested temperatures and spoil. The last thing you want to do is serve your customers food that is unhealthy because of a crowded refrigerator or freezer. The best way to stay ahead of the game is to use the label and organization system.

Whether you are offering takeout or preparing to reopen your restaurant, it is important to ensure you are serving fresh food to your customers. It is no secret that your family-owned restaurant is your livelihood and possibly a traditional space, so you want to ensure your customers are willing to return when it is time to open for business.