Preparing For Kitchen Reopening
With the end of the current UK lockdown in sight, you may be thinking about reopening your commercial kitchen if you’re in the catering industry. From the new measures you’ll have to put into place to comply with the government regulations for COVID-19, to ensuring you have the right up to date equipment and storage and handling solutions, there’s a lot to think about to ensure business returns as smoothly as possible for your staff and customers.
Get ready to reopen
If you’re putting plans in place to reopen your kitchen/restaurant/cafe, etc, here are just some of the things you’ll need to think about:
Risk assessments
Not only should you complete a thorough general risk assessment of your kitchen and surrounding areas, but we now must ensure COVID-19 risks are considered too. This may mean creating more space for diners, one way systems, extra sanitising stations and even rejigging staff rotas. Everyone’s safety is of paramount importance, and if you feel like you haven’t covered every base, you aren’t ready to reopen your kitchen.
Up to date equipment
It’s important to get your kitchen up to date before you think about opening your doors, not only to ensure your equipment works and is maintained, but also to make sure that each kitchen process is efficient and works for your staff each day.
Organisation is often a big issue in the kitchen and even front of house, and having adequate storage space for ingredients, supplies and stock can make a big difference. Here at Craven, we manufacture storage and handling solutions for the catering industry and even create bespoke products for those with more precise needs. From transport trolleys to shelving, we cater for a range of needs, and the majority of our products are made here in Britain. Find out more about how we’re proud to be a British manufacturer!
Food, staff and equipment hygiene
It’s important to make sure that staff are well enough to return to work each day. Any signs of illness should be reported and regular temperature taking should be carried out. Food and equipment hygiene is also essential. Surfaces should be regularly cleaned and disinfected after use, which includes storage and handling equipment.
At Craven, our products are manufactured using only the very best materials, making them quick and easy to clean regularly. As our products are so robust, they won’t show wear and tear, making them perfect for a catering environment.
Cleaning schedules are also important to put into place to ensure nothing is missed. This can be given to certain members of staff to take charge of, or can be distributed between all staff as a joint effort.
Checking appliances
For storage equipment, regular visual inspections will usually suffice, but if you haven’t used your main catering appliances for a while, it’s likely they’ll need servicing. Check all the appliances and equipment in your kitchen in good time to make sure they are fit for use and to give yourself some extra time for repairs if necessary.
Looking for new storage and handling products for your kitchen reopening?
Craven offers high quality British-made storage and handling solutions at competitive prices. Our robust, flexible products and systems offer original and unique solutions to the storage and handling needs of a wide range of industries.
Alongside our standard product range, we also offer OEM and bespoke solutions to match specific storage and handling requirements. Whatever your needs, we’ve got you covered. Give us a call today on 01423 796 200 or email us at info@craven-solutions.com and see how we can help!