After months of closure, businesses are finally starting to reopen. And if you happen to own a restaurant, preparing to reopen takes strategy. With so much focus on keeping everyone safe and flattening the curve, certain precautions need to be followed.
Food Safety
Employee and patron safety is a top priority, but so is food safety. Before opening the doors, make sure that the food prep area is clean and ready for use. As usual, you’ll also need to make sure that the food is kept at the right temperature and stored properly as well.
When it comes to opening the kitchen, make sure that any employee who returns to work is healthy. Check their health status, and if they were recently ill or currently have a fever, send them home. You should also have sanitation procedures in place that are followed prior to food preparation, during the process and after as well.
Mold Inspection
Mold is insidious. It seems to come out of nowhere, and by the time you realize you have it, it’s everywhere. This is especially true when there’s a water leak in the ceiling. There are various sources for these leaks, but a common one is the AC. Depending on the business, the HVAC could be installed on the roof.. And even when the restaurant is closed, you may still need to run the heating and cooling system. Unfortunately, if it starts to leak, the water can run through the ceiling and get trapped in between the tiles.
In addition to mold growth, the tiles can also buckle and collapse, requiring installation of new ceiling tiles. Before you reopen your restaurant, do a thorough check for mold, both in the kitchen and in the dining area. If your business has been closed for the last couple months, a leak could have easily gone unnoticed and caused a mold problem. If you find mold in your ceiling, contact a company like New Ceiling Tiles, LLC to replace the damaged areas with mold-resistant ceiling tiles.
Plumbing
Malfunctioning plumbing can destroy a restaurant, so prior to reopening, have the plumbing inspected. In addition to plumbing in restrooms. you also need to have the plumbing in the kitchen as well. This includes dishwashers, faucets, and even laundry machines, if the restaurant has one on-site.
HVAC Maintenance
Finally, you also need to ensure your HVAC is working properly. In addition to regular seasonal inspection, schedule a reopening inspection prior to opening day. This is even more important if the system hasn’t been in use for months. At the very least, the unit needs to be turned on and run prior to opening to catch any potential issues.
Reopening a restaurant after extended closure is more than turning over the “We’re Open” sign. Make sure that all systems are ready prior to letting customers back into the establishment. Even though getting things running at full speed is the goal, skipping necessary inspections and preparations the space properly could backfire.
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