Continued from first part 5 reasons to develop SOPs for Restaurants
In continuation from the last article where we highlighted three important reasons to develop and implement SOPs for restaurants, in this article we shall cover two more vital reasons to go for SOPs(standard operating procedures) in this business.
For Maintaining Food Safety and Quality Standards
Maintenance of food safety and quality standards is an essential and obligatory area of work for FBOs (Food Business Operators) like restaurants and hotels irrespective of their size and number of stars on their crown. It constitutes a statutory compliance requirement and comes under the purview of the regulatory framework in force. Therefore, it becomes necessary for the restaurants to incorporate the food safety and quality standards in their restaurant operations manual. And this can be achieved through development and implementation of systematic and standardized SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) procedures for the execution of operational activities of a restaurant. Some of the key operations involved in this process are:
- Food Safety Training – To the employees for imparting technical knowledge and awareness and for proper implementation of the established standards and specifications in the concerned departments of a restaurant as applicable.
- Preparation of Checklists, Reports and Documentation – To help ensure adherence to the established standards and specifications, monitoring and inspection of on-going operational activities and compliance reporting.
- Internal Audit – On a periodical basis to check compliance with the established standards and specifications.
This can be achieved through development and implementation of systematic and standardized SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) procedures for the execution of operational activities of a restaurant
For Employee Orientation and Training
In order to acquaint new employees with the organizational and functional policies and procedures of the restaurant, it is important to provide them with the necessary orientation and training. Employee training programs can be designed and executed by making use of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) which will help ensure that the incumbents of training programs grasp the understanding of the flow of work in a step-by-step manner and the standards of output required to be maintained at each stage. This will also facilitate the trainers in keeping track of the progress of the trainees and identify areas that may require improvement. You can consider developing a restaurant SOP manual PDF so that every employee can keep one in their smartphone. Whenever they are in doubt they can just open it and clear their doubt. The training areas for restaurant employees include a general orientation, personal hygiene, facility and equipment management, supply chain management, quality control, safety measures etc. Some of these areas are discussed below in brief.
- General Orientation – New staff in a restaurant need to be introduced to his/her co-workers, acquainted with the various departments, facilities and mechanical/electrical equipment which are in operation in the restaurant, made familiar with the rules and regulations pertaining to the employee code of conduct, protocols of customer service etc.
- Personal Hygiene – Employees are required to be educated about the standards of personal hygiene pertaining to grooming and attire, maintenance of bodily hygiene at and off work, medical attention etc.
- Facility and Equipment Management – Through proper training, employees in a restaurant should be made well-acquainted with the operating procedures of the equipment and facilities used in their respective departments.
- Food Safety and Quality Standards – As discussed earlier, employees need to be educated and trained on the food safety and quality standards required to be maintained in restaurants.
Employee training programs can be designed and executed by making use of SOP (standard operating procedures) mechanism which will help to ensure that the incumbents of training programs grasp the understanding of the flow of work in a step-by-step manner
SOP development and implementation as a management tool and practice have proved to be a game-changer for businesses irrespective of the nature of the industry or the size and scale of operations. Restaurants can benefit immensely from SOPs given how particular, consistent and accurate a restaurant has to be on the parameters of food safety, quality, service and environment. And a high performance in these parameters is crucial for a restaurant to create long-lasting customer delight and customer loyalty. To read more about SOPs, click here SOP and Six steps to writing a great SOPs for retail.
To read 1st part of this article Read more ….
Benefits of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
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