An estimated 28,000 teens in fast food jobs are rushed to emergency rooms each year after suffering nasty falls, hot grease burns, and other injuries.

Filta is always helping to reduce accidents in kitchens by taking away the risks to staff around the fryers.  This is an article from Caremark showing some of the many issues.

By Ann Pappert
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

As a young employee at McDonald’s, Tom Smith learned early that he would have to be careful with more than just flipping burgers. Although the restaurant enforced strict safety rules, one night while routinely cleaning the grill, Smith didn’t put on the insulated, fireproof gloves provided by the restaurant. When his arm slipped onto the grill, he sustained a nasty burn. “I thought I knew everything about cleaning, that I knew what I was doing, and I didn’t need to wear the gloves,” he recalls.

That was some ten years ago, but Smith, now an area supervisor for McDonald’s in Brooklyn, New York, still shares what he learned from that experience with his employees. “There’s a lot of repetition in these jobs, and it’s easy to become overconfident and take shortcuts that can lead to accidents,” he says. “I tell my workers that safety must be number one.” Smith, who is in his late twenties, has worked at McDonald’s since he was 16. As he talks, he glances over from time to time to the counter where his workers are filling orders industriously.

When things get busy, Smith, whose easy-going but no-nonsense manner fits right in with the rest of his crew, excuses himself to jump up and help his crew take drink orders or work the cash register.

Cathy Rivas, a college student working for Smith, says that her McDonald’s shift is great for students because the hours are flexible and Smith is happy to give her time off to study for exams. On any given day Rivas, who was working the counter during this reporter’s visit, may clear tables, sweep and mop the floor, scrub the bathroom, cook burgers and fries, and fill orders for soda and coffee. Because she’s performing multiple tasks, Rivas — like other fast-food workers — is exposed to numerous potential hazards. During an 8-hour day, she runs the risk of burning herself on a sizzling grill or fry basket, slipping and falling on a wet floor, or being exposed to harmful chemicals such as cleaning solvents. “They really emphasize safety here,” she says.

Safety is important in any job, but particularly so in the fast-food industry, where young and inexperienced workers abound. In fact, according to the National Restaurant Association, the fast-food industry is one of the largest employers of teens in the country, and many go on to senior positions. More than half of McDonald’s middle and senior managers started as fry cooks or other entry-level positions, and more than 50 percent of store owners began as crew members in a franchise. The fast-food industry also has one of the best records of promoting minorities.

But the industry has a troubling safety record. Of the 2.5 million teens working in the restaurant industry, the majority injured on the job are most likely to be working in fast-food outlets, according to a 1999 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Collecting data from a sample of hospitals across the country over a two-year period, NIOSH estimated that emergency rooms treated about 44,800 injuries suffered by teenage restaurant workers. Of those injuries, an estimated 28,000 — a whopping 63 percent — took place in hamburger, pizza, or other fast-food establishments. Interestingly, most of the injuries occurred in hamburger restaurants (52.6 percent), as compared to pizza places (12.6 percent) and chicken or fish restaurants (11.7 percent).

The NIOSH study also determined that nearly half of the injuries involved hot grease and that more than half of the injuries from falls were caused by wet or greasy floors. Researchers further found that the type of injury varied according to gender. Of teens working in fast-food restaurants, males were more likely to have burns, lacerations, and other injuries related to cooking, while females were more likely to suffer sprains, strains, and contusions associated with cashiering and clearing tables.

Researchers have also found that teens working in fast-food restaurants are six times more likely to be burned than teens working in any other industry. According to the Burn Foundation, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, teens working as fry cooks in fast-food restaurants are at special risk for burn injuries.

Not every worker who accidentally burns himself is as lucky as Tom Smith, whose lesions were relatively minor. Investigating burns among restaurant workers in Colorado and Minnesota, researchers found that of the 71 teenagers in Minnesota who had had work-related burns, 31 suffered permanent scarring. (Of these injuries, 28 occurred in fast-food restaurants, and 14 of those accidents involved hot grease.) One 16-year-old crew cook in a Minnesota fast-food outlet was burned over much of his body as he was pushing a container of hot grease outside to filter it. As he reached the door, the container slipped and the lid popped off, spilling the scalding grease all over him.

According to the Burn Foundation, burns are likely to occur when workers ignore safety rules, are pressed for time and take shortcuts, or when they become too familiar with their jobs and take unnecessary risks. Tom Smith agrees. “Most accidents happen from overconfidence and cutting corners,” he says. “Preventing burns is mostly a question of using common sense.” At the McDonald’s he manages, new employees receive on-the-job training alongside more experienced workers and practice with training cards.

Fast-food employees also need to be aware of the ever-present potential for robberies or random violence in their establishments. Five employees of a Wendy’s in Queens, New York, for example, were shot to death in early 2000. Tom Smith took the tragedy to heart.

“I used it as an occasion to remind the employees to always follow our set procedures for robberies,” he says, adding that the rules include barring any ex-employees from going behind the counter. In addition, he cautioned workers not to panic or try to play the hero — in other words, to simply hand over the money. To deter hold-ups, managers also skim large bills from the registers during the day, and prominently display a sign stating the employees don’t have access codes to open the safe.

Here are some other safety tips from NIOSH and industry experts:

• Prevent burn injuries by providing employees with appropriate gloves and scrapers and other cleaning tools with handles.
• Allow hot grease to cool before you move it.
• Wherever possible, use slip-resistant flooring to prevent falls and keep floors dry and well maintained.
• Wear nonskid shoes to prevent slipping.
• Extinguish hot oil or grease fires by sliding a lid over the container.
• Avoid reaching over or across hot surfaces and burners.
• Don’t plug in electrical equipment while touching a wet or damp surface.

To guard against accidental electrocution, NIOSH also recommends that employers buy plugs and receptacles that don’t energize before insertion is complete; construct receptacle boxes out of non-conductive materials; label all fuse boxes and circuit breakers; and train workers in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

 – Ann Pappert has coproduced stories on health for Dateline NBC, worked as an associate producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s “Fifth Estate,” and served as a consultant on in vitro fertilization to the World Health Organization and Ontario Ministry of Health. A freelance journalist in New York, she has also written for the Toronto Star, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and Canadian Doctor.

A job analysis may seem like a big project that is unnecessary for the average restaurant owner.  While job analysis are a tool that is most commonly seen being used in big corporations, it is indeed practical for usage in small organizations, especially those that require employees to handle a multitude of tasks in a given day.

In essence, a job analysis is a written description that outlines the job expectations, job functions, and job description for any given position.  The benefit to taking the time to do this for each position in your restaurant is two fold.  First, it gives every team member a clear understanding of who is responsible for what activities on a daily basis.  Secondly, it provides a guideline to review your employees by, allowing you to clearly see where an employee lacks or excels in their job duties.  The hidden benefit is that in the event that you need to discipline or even terminate the employment of an individual, you can clearly prove that the employee understood their job duties and failed to meet expectations.  This can avoid costly unemployment claims and negativity against your restaurant in the marketplace.

Writing a job analysis is not a complicated matter.  Consider the role of each employee on both a day to day basis and long term objectives.  Walk through the work day visually for each position held in your restaurant.  If you are not well versed in each employee’s duties, tag along with one of them for the day and keep track of what is done and what could be added or removed from their workload to make business run more efficiently.  Aside from physical duties, consider what  you expect from each position in regards to personality, attire, and attitude.  Set goals that you think are reasonable for personal growth and document these carefully.

Once you have your basic notes, write the details down in a simple format that clearly states the expectations and duties.  Also include disciplinary actions that will be faced if these expectations and duties are not met.  It is important to make sure that you stick by what you put in writing, although allow for flexibility and make changes as needed over time.

Be sure to share your job analysis for each position with your co-managers and other support staff, and make sure that it is used as a report card to keep track of employee progress.  While it should not take more than a few hours to write a job analysis, the time saved will be a blessing when it is time for you to review your employees for consideration of raises.  Having a firm checklist they agreed to upon being hired to compare their work against avoids what can otherwise be an awkward and daunting process that most managers dread.

So while generally considered a  tool for large organizations with human resource departments, even the smallest of start up restaurants can benefit from a detailed job analysis.

Toss out everything you learned about marketing prior to last year. 

Even those with marketing degrees may be looking at how successful businesses today handle marketing while scratching their heads in confusion and wonder.  The internet has virtually done away with newspapers, quite literally in some markets.  Gone are the days of running expensive paper ads, mailing coupons in the mail and guessing which radio spots will work best for your restaurant.  Social media is all the buzz in all aspects of marketing today and the best part is that, for the most part, it is free!

Social media, according to Wikipedia, is “media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.”  What that means in plain English is it is a way to use the internet to reach your target audience directly with little more than a few strokes of your keyboard.

So how can social media marketing benefit your restaurant?  Easy.  It’s been proven by the National Restaurant Association that the bulk of your business will be repeat customers.  Someone comes into your establishment, enjoys a fine meal and comes back for more.  Tapping into their attention span while they are online reading their email, chatting with friends, or catching up on Facebook gives you an opportunity to directly place your restaurant into their mind.

The best way to start is to let your customer know you have an internet presence.  Give them incentive to accept you into their virtual world by handing out cards when they check out with your restaurants online information.  Your website, myspace profile, Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account should all be listed.  If you do not have these, or have no idea where to begin, you can likely get one of your internet savvy employees to happily set these up for you. Reward your customers for adding you to their network by offering frequent coupons or other incentives available only to your followers.

It is important not to cross the line between friendly reminders and spam.  Nothing will kill your marketing plan faster than continually advertising to your audience.  The key is to mix your direct advertising with fun little bits that keep your audience engaged.  A perfect example would be for a pizza restaurant to post about a printable coupon in the morning before people are thinking about where to go for lunch, then in the afternoon share with your fans the fact that “The world largest pizza was a round pizza 122 feet and 8 inches across. The ingredients were 9,920 lbs of flour, 198 lbs of salt, 3968 lbs of cheese and 1984 lbs of tomato puree.”  While fun, these type of statements will get your fans talking about and passing along your name to their friends, eventually adding to your customer count.

It is not just working mothers that worry about the balance of home life versus career these days.  Study after study has shown that employees that have a life outside of work have the best attendance records, performance records and are involved in less accidents at the work place than their over worked counterparts.

It may be very tempting in lean economic times to cut back the hours of your non-salaried employees and allow your salaried managers to pick up the slack.  While the impact on your bottom line may be a sort of instant gratification, the long-term result is likely to put you in the red more than you saved to begin with.

A few things to consider:

Stress- Just because a manager is away from home more with an increased schedule load does not mean that their responsibilities at home have decreased accordingly.  We all know the feeling of their not being enough hours in a day, and an over worked employee still has to juggle their home life.  Pushing tasks back into sleeping time will over time create a less than alert manager, causing reactionary time to fall dramatically.  Safety is a big issue- a tired manager is less likely to notice safety violations and less likely to be accurate in reporting, both of which can have dire consequences to your business stability.

Dissatisfaction- It may seem downright silly, but Little Johnny’s soccer game or Sally’s dance recital may be just as important as work.  Employees that are not given an opportunity to enjoy family events or handle personal problems at home quickly become resentful of their employment. An unhappy employee is an unproductive employee as a rule. Once the loyalty is shaken effort on the job is likely to decrease, the impact of which a restaurant owner will see translate to the bottom line.

Attendance- Even the most dedicated employee can only do so much.  While your plan to cut payroll may look like a smashing success in the first few months, the wear and tear on your salaried employees will show itself in time.  Emotional and physical wellness go hand in hand, and historically employees with adequate time away from work have less illnesses and injuries as a result.  Likewise, they are less likely to feel the need to “call in sick” to attend to personal matters if they have no reason to fear a backlash if they need to request time off work.

Even if your top-performing manager is eager to pick up the extra work, it’s beneficial in the long run to require and encourage downtime.  Balancing your scheduling needs while understanding your employees do have needs outside of the restaurant will result in happier employees. Happy employees get sick less and make less safety mistakes. Happy employees also provide better service.  Superior  service, as we all know, is the best recipe for a successful business.

Every employer’s nightmare is a workman’s compensation or unemployment claim.  You do not have to have a degree in human resources or employment law to successfully protect your business and it’s assets from claims.

The nature of restaurants is it’s own evil.  Accidents happen from slick kitchen floors, customers are at risk of being burned by hot liquid (just think about the McDonald’s coffee fiasco), emplyee claims (mainly around burns from fryers) and turnover in employees is higher than in almost any other industry.  This is a recipe for disaster in the way of claims against your business, but there are several things you can do to protect yourself and your restaurant.

Policies and procedures are generally well outlined if you own a franchise and the training required by the franchisor will likely cover these in detail for your new employee.  If you own a non-franchise restaurant you need to think carefully about your own policies and procedures and make sure they are clearly laid out in a manual you personally review with each new hire during the training process.  If you aren’t experienced in writing, it may be worth your investment to hire an outside agency to review your manual and make necessary adjustments.  Handing a manual to a new hire is not enough, especially if they have worked in restaurants before coming on board with yours.  They are likely to think it’s the same across the board, and may gloss over important pieces of information that could prevent an accident.  If you do own a franchise, this review is equally important.  In either situation, yearly reviews of the manuals in the form of a group meeting is well worth the effort.  By doing so, there is no room for confusion or forgetfulness that can result in cut corners and inevitably accidents in the workplace.

Paperwork is something no one enjoys, but it can be your lifeline in the event a claim comes against you.  Document everything that happens, regardless of how small.  For insurance issues, detailed documentation of what occurred, how the situation was responded to, witness statements that are signed and dated, and follow up processes implemented can make all of the difference in liability.  If the injured employee broke any of your policies and procedures be sure to detail that information along with any disciplinary actions taken.

For unemployment claims, your paper trail is the only thing that can protect you.  In each of your employee’s files you should have signed copies of their acknowledgment of the handbooks rules, details of each time they were late or called out of work, and very detailed reports on any disciplinary problems that arise.  Even if your employee is given a “verbal warning” you need to have it documented that the warning was given and have the documentation signed by the employee acknowledging the issue.  Most states are at will states, meaning either party can terminate their employment without any real reason, but when it comes to an unemployment claim it is you versus the employee on who was in the right.  Even if there was only one violation to your policies, documentation of it can protect you if it comes to review by the Department of Labor.

When it comes to the kitchen, you can’t cut corners. This where all of the magic is done. The chefs prep the food, make it, and present it in a way that makes it the most interesting for the diners. It is imperative to be able to keep an orderly kitchen that is safe and clean. Kitchens have many stations. These vary from prep, saute, salad, pizza, and even more. This varies dependent upon what the restaurant serves and how large the kitchen is. It is important to have all that is needed to make amazing meals. For example, if you have many different types of pizzas it is important to have all of the toppings stocked up and fresh just waiting to be thrown on top. Space requirements are important to maintain and a good restaurant manager will know and understand the space limits given.

Stocking your kitchen properly is important, too. Making sure that you have all of the necessary equipment and also have them in working order can make it easier. It can be better to get used equipment as it would save you money while still providing quality materials that are smaller. For larger equipment, it might be better to just pay out full price on new materials because it will last much longer and is cheaper in the long run. The other option is to lease equipment that stop working sooner than most things.

The most important thing about running a kitchen is safety. There always needs to be more than enough space for workers to move around the cooking equipment. The workers jobs need to be done while not compromising safety. All hot food needs to be handled properly and all workers need to be trained in doing exactly that. Working out a process of how you want all things handled is key to being able to keep safety number one. There should be a list of all necessary steps for this goal. Maybe making a handbook would be the best idea. You could section it off and have all employees read the books then do on-site training to confirm that they all understand perfectly.

Keeping a safe kitchen is the key element needed to run a good restaurant. As long as you keep it a safe environment, things will run smoothly. People will get hurt very rarely, making it easier for you. You won’t have to find a replacement or deal with unemployment for example. You will also get the food out faster and the quality will make the customers come back again and again. On top of that, your employees have the right to be kept safe in a risk free environment. They also deserve it. Keeping yourself aware and alert to the space requirements from the beginning will make it a well oiled machine before people even apply to work there. These are just a few tips and tricks to keep in mind for running a safe and efficient kitchen.

As a restaurant owner, you have enough on your plate in regards to overhead costs.  Commercial insurance is one way that you can easily save money in a tough economy.

Location, Location, Location
Any established restaurateur knows that location is everything.  It affects your target customer base, your traffic and your pricing strategies. If your business is in the start-up phase, you may want to consider leasing your property.  Many times, insurance is built into the cost of the lease, which can help net substantial savings month to month.  Even if its not offered at the onset, you may want to discuss this option with the property owner as a negotiating point.

Safety First

We have all heard it before, but safety in the workplace is about more than just protecting your business assets from lawsuits.  Obviously no one wins when an employee is injured.  Injury results in lack of production, medical expenses, and workman’s compensation issues.  It also will greatly affect your insurance premiums.  Make safety a priority- educate your employees on safety procedures to keep your kitchen and restaurant free from accidents and have proper disciplinary actions in place to discourage short cuts. All too often just being a little lax on safety procedures can lead to major accidents, but even the smallest of accidents can cause those dreaded insurance premium hikes.  Many insurance claims are centered around the fryers.  Taking away this liability by utlilising cooking oil filtration and fryer management servics, like FiltaFry, can help.  Keeping accident rates low will insure your premiums stay the same.

Careful Reporting

You may think that you are on top of your claims, and that they are reported carefully, but your employees may not be as concerned or knowledgeable about the impact they have on your insurance premiums.  If an accident does occur, make certain your reports are done promptly and are concise.  Track all incidents that lead to accidents, make necessary adjustments to prevent repeat scenarios, and educate your management team as to the importance of this aspect of their job to prevent major loses.

Knowing your insurer

If you run a franchise, you may be locked in by your contract with a particular insurance company.  If the choice is yours to make, be sure to do your homework and find a company that has competitive rates and good reviews from past and present clients.  Shopping around is a must, and if you are not comfortable or knowledgeable with exactly how commercial insurance works find an insurance broker that is well regarded.  Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start to find the right broker.   A broker that specializes in hospitality insurance will understand the type of claims you may face and be able to lead you to the perfect company for your business needs.

Avoid Coverage Gaps

Missing a renewal date by just a few days can cause a major increase in your out of pocket expense even if no accidents occur during the lapse.  Have a plan set in place to regularly review your paperwork associated with your claims, be certain loose ends are tied up and that the information is easily accessible.  Renew early whenever possible, as you may find this gives you a small discount and will help you avoid any last minute quote changes.

In a time where the national unemployment rate is at an all time high- over 10% in most markets- your initial response when contacted by a restaurant recruiter may be to hang up the phone.  Before you do just that, you may want to consider a few benefits that make the fee seen more beneficial to your bottom line.

Sourcing
If given the choice, would you hire a restaurant manager that has a proven track record of success with your competitor, or a manager that was fired from his last three jobs?  No doubt, the answer seems obvious.  But if the manager has a proven track record with your competitor, do you really think he or she is out beating the street and looking for a new job in a market ripe with lay offs and closings?  This is where a recruiter is most beneficial.  Recruiters will seek out those top-performing managers and bring them to you.  Despite what you may think, a good recruiter is not shady or underhanded in their process.  They simply present a better opportunity to that top performing manager and open the window of communication between you and the type of person you want running your business.

Scouring
Anyone who has tried to hire lately knows that a simple ad in the local newspaper will bring in hundreds of applications.  While your ad may clearly require five years of restaurant management experience, you’ll find that the desperate job seeker will translate that very loosely.  As a result, you find yourself wading through hundreds of applications of under qualified- or not at all qualified- individuals.  Hours of wasted time that could be spent growing your business can be avoided with the use of a recruiter.  The recruiters job is not only to source candidates for your position, but also to prescreen, interview and check references of the managers they present to you for consideration.  The end result is you only have to do a few interviews with highly qualified individuals that you know meet your expectations.  The only hard part at that point is choosing between them.

Trial Run
One of the best advantages to using a professional recruiter is that you have the ability to do a “trial run” with your new hire.  As a hospitality professional and business owner, you know that hiring a new manager is expensive.  The cost of training a new manager can equate to thousands in lost time and resources, a hefty price to pay repeatedly if your new manager decides to walk away shortly after or during training.  A recruiter’s job is two-part. They not only act as a recruiter, but often as a councilor as well.  A good recruiter stays in constant contact with their new hire and can alert you in advance of any concerns.  Its in their best interest to help you keep that person on board, as most recruiting contracts include a 90 day or more guarantee- your manager is replaced for free if either of you are unhappy.

So before you hang up that phone, consider the benefits.  You could just hire your competition’s star employee, save time and money by not advertising and wading through unqualified applicants, and have an insurance policy against a hiring mistake.  Recruiters are feeling the pain of a bad economy as well, so you may just get all of this at a more than reasonable price if you negotiate carefully.

Most restaurant managers have to deal with this issue at some point or another. Going through the hiring process, training and working on making sure you have adequate staff can be a complex process that just continues on and on. However, going through all of this to find out that you have an employee who is stealing is an even more difficult task to deal with. The issues here are actually multifaceted. Losing money because of theft is a serious problem but also, how you handle a situation like this is difficult, you have to balance showing that you are prepared to enforce your policies without making other employees feel alienated by how you do so.

Before you do confront the situation, be sure that you are absolutely certain. If you have enough proof, be that through account sheets, someone else seeing them do it, or video surveillance, then you can proceed. However, you have to be able to prove that there is absolutely no reason to doubt that this person has been stealing, and if you have to catch them doing it- this is actually even better. You have to be able to prove not only so that you can get rid of the theft issue itself, but also so that the rest of your staff is fully understanding of why. Once this is in place, make sure that you are handling things privately. Many people make a big mistake trying to make an example or show other employees the consequences, but it is not necessary. You can then later have a store meeting to explain what has gone on and why you have done what you needed to. Gossip in the workplace can be a terrible thing and doing this will both make sure that those rumors don’t get started, but also enforce your theft policy in a subtle way.

Of course, the best medicine is always prevention. There are a number of things that you can do to ensure that you do not end up with an employee theft problem, or at least lesson the odds of it occurring. The best way of course happens in the hiring process. Make sure that you are really, seriously looking into their background and make sure that you do take the time to train properly so that you can figure out the way that the staff you hire on thinks and operates.  Also, be sure that you have great communication with your employees. Always make sure that everyone is clear on the policies for everything, not just theft. This shows a clear and direct set of rules that they understand and know exactly what the consequences will be. Be consistent and do not ever bend the rules or break them for any reason.

Keeping employee theft at bay also involves making sure that only certain people and a limited amount, at that, are allowed to work in areas where this can be a problem. Monitoring common theft areas can also help. Just a few small changes and you can greatly reduce the risk of ever having to deal with an employee theft confrontation in your restaurant.

Whenever we are faced with hiring a new employee for a restaurant the questions asked during the interview process are the best window we have to the morals, ethics, behavior and motivation of a candidate. It is important to ask both traditional and situational questions to best determine the likelihood of the candidate’s abilities to fit with the restaurant. Asking direct questions that relate to the job duties are the best way to assess a candidate’s experience. It is important to get a feel for how this person will handle the restaurant’s customers if they will be on the floor, or how they will interact with employees on the back end. Asking situational questions is the only way to gauge how the candidate might react under pressure or when dealing with tough judgment calls.

Many considerations must be made when hiring for an open position, especially if the position is managerial in nature. The length of time in the industry, the reputation of the restaurants the manager has worked at, and the way the person presents themselves are all very important. While pride is a good virtue in an employee, an ego can cause problems within the team environment.

Below is a list of questions to get you started on the interview process, and some insight as to what you could learn by asking them:

1. What accomplishment in your career are you most proud of? This is the best way to find out from the “get-go” the motivation level of the employee.  Everyone likes to brag, so there is no better way to hear all the good stuff than by asking this question.
2. What is the one thing you would do differently in your career path if you were able to start over?  This question is great for separating the “I need a job to pay rent” types from those that really want to make a career for them selves.  While its tempting to hire the eager “I need a job” types, keep in mind they are the first to leave when someone else offers them a better schedule or a dollar more than you do.
3. Explain a time that you thought out of the box. What did you do, and how was it different than what your company normally did? What was the result? This question is excellent to get a feel for how someone follows the rules given.  You may be surprised to hear them enthusiastically explain how they broke every rule imposed on them, or you may find out they are innovative and saved their former boss thousands by coming up with a better way to do things.
4. Of all of the supervisors you have had, who was your favorite and why? This question will give you insight on how to motivate the candidate should you hire them.  It also opens the door for the very important next question.
5. Of all of the supervisors you have had, who was your least favorite and why? Listen carefully to the answer given.  You will find out quickly if the person has issues with authority or has a “not my fault” type of personality- both of which you want to avoid at all costs.

These, in addition to the basic interviewing questions, will go along way in helping you hire someone that is a good fit for your restaurant long term.  Read between the lines as you listen to the answers.  You may be surprised at what you can learn!

Some of these tips may really put a light bulb on for many. Most restaurant management isn’t considering the small details that can make a huge dent in your profit margin- instead, and understandably focused on the bigger details. However, the problem with this is that it can be causing a big issue when it comes to many different costs that you may not consider- if you don’t pay attention to protecting that profit, you’re going to find that the market, bouncing back and forth as it does, eroding  margins, rising food cost, huge credit card fees, and growing utility rates really chip away at how much money your business is really making. Here are a few small changes that any restaurant manager can make to help offset many of the rising costs and turn a better profit in the end.

Make sure that you’re really working on the way that improving the way that your wait staff implements your product delivery. If you find that your servers end up tossing away product at the end of their shifts, rethink the way you do things. Portion control is the very essence of cutting food related loss- and it is important to note that in putting into practice less wasteful measures, not only are you cutting your cost, you’re probably also ensuring fresher, better tasting foods are served. Another area of loss in this area is automatically giving customers water glasses. Many people gasp at the suggestion, but how many times have you seen customers who order drinks actually drink the water they’re served? Conversely, those who do, are they ordering drinks? Make water a by request only affair.

Another area, if you have control over it- your menu. If it does not adequately reflect the current economic conditions, you need to change it. Make sure that the more profitable items on your menu are promoted and marketed well, these should be your upsellers, and your staff should be trained to do so.

One of the biggest mistakes a restaurant manager can make that will cause the most loss, however, doesn’t happen at the front of the house. This happens when ordering food from your vendors. Make sure that you are only ordering what you need for your menu- don’t over purchase anything, and certainly make sure that you’re not spending too much on a product where it doesn’t matter so much about the quality. A perfect example of something you would want to spend a little more on, steaks and other meats- where as, does it really matter if you have the top quality mashed potato mix?

On the whole, there are many small things just like this throughout your restaurant that you could be doing to decrease your costs and better promote a more profitable way of doing business. If you have a walk through your restaurant, you are sure to find areas of waste. Each and every one of these needs to be seen as a dollar out of your business’ pocket, and so, a dollar out of yours.

You’re well aware of how saving money with your cooking oil can be a bit of a balancing act with being able to make sure that you’re still putting out good tasting food, with each serving. However, you probably did not realize that maintaining the quality of that oil is a little bit more complicated than scraping down the sides, and closing up the fryer at night. There are actually a number of things that you can do to keep it frying better, longer, and tasting great, as well.

Firstly, don’t fill baskets over the fryer vat. You’d be surprised, but this actually causes deterioration by putting ice bits in your oil. There’s already a lot of moisture in everything that you cook, but if you’re filling your basket right there, you’re making it worse.  This is also highly beneficial in keeping food particulate out of your oil, which causes something known as polymerization. Fill your basket away from the vat, shake it a bit to get the particles falling away, and then put your food into the oil.
This will help you a great deal in keeping oil fresh and tasting better for a longer amount of time.

Another big problem with oil is that it oxidizes. Fast. In order to prevent this, you have to really be able to cut the amount of contact with air that the oil itself has- most people do this by making sure that the vat is covered when it isn’t being used, however, there is another way. Make sure that your oil is never exceeding three hundred and sixty degrees. Reduce the heat of the oil when you’re having slow business to about two hundred and eighty, and you’ll see less oxidation and longer lasting oil.

Keeping an effective maintenance system for your fryer is another big key- no matter what measures you take, you’re going to end up with food in your oil, it’s going to get air exposure. Keeping it filtered well and making sure that you’re addressing your filtration needs. If you serve a great deal of breaded foods, you’re going to have to be filtering a great deal more than if it is only being used for something like french fries.

Many people do not take into account the sheer volume of oil that you can save by simply having a great filter schedule in place. The more your filter your oil, the longer you can make it last, and this is a key thing to not only prolonging the life of the oil itself, but keeping you serving food that tastes, smells and looks great.

Another thing is keeping your staff on task about the cleaning of the fryer. If you change out the oil, make sure that fryer is deeply cleaned before it is filled back up. There are certain areas of the fryer where the particles tend to accumulate more, and unfortunately, these are frequently the most difficult to reach and get cleaned effectively- but it has to be done. Getting the soap residue off of your fryer can help, too, and this is one area where cost effectiveness is definitely easy to maintain. A simple solution of water and vinegar will remove any left over detergents or soaps you’ve got left behind.

If you have been in restaurant management for any time at all, you understand the maxim, “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time,” better than many.  No matter how diligent you are, no matter how well trained your staff is, no matter what precautions are taken, at some point you will have to deal with an upset customer.  However, if handled correctly, even the most irate customer can become a net-positive for your restaurant.
Establishing Protocol
As a first line of defense against upset customers, you must ensure that your staff is properly trained on how to handle an angry or dissatisfied customer.  If a customer has a problem with their food or with the service, your waiters will be the first to hear about it.  It is crucial that they are well aware of the proper way of handling an upset customer and of relaying information to you.
Since there is little your waiters can do to actually remedy a potentially volatile situation, it is most important that they all be skilled in the fine art of listening and communicating effectively.  Regardless of the customers demeanor, your staff should never be anything but 100% calm and courteous.  Those who display an inability to keep a cool head should probably not be in a position to actively deal with customers.
You staff must understand the importance of listening and being able to repeat a customer’s complaint back to them – this shows the customer that their complaint is understood and is important.  This also ensures that the staff member will be able to accurately relay the concern to you, so that you don’t have to escalate the situation by having to ask the customer to repeat him or herself.  Your staff should also remain apologetic about any misunderstanding, shortcoming or other perceived error.  Sometimes a simple apology from the server can diffuse the situation without your involvement.
When to Step In

Of course, in those instances when an apology isn’t enough, you, as acting manager, must step in to handle the situation.  Remember that all of the standards you hold your staff to in dealing with an irate customer also apply to yourself.  Again, in many cases an apology from management (with the promise of looking into the causal circumstances) can succeed in smoothing things over where an apology from the server was insufficient.  Also, if you are aware of a situation with a customer arising, be alert so that you can step in if your server begins to show signs of losing his or her calm.

Taking Action

When an apology and promise to address the underlying issue are not enough, then it is time to act directly.  Before implementing a solution, it is important that you express to the customer exactly what you propose to do and to ensure that the customer’s needs regarding the conflict are resolved by the proposed action.  However, this only applies to direct action to address a physical problem, such as a food preparation issue or cleanliness issue.

If the problem is with a staff member, then do not, under any circumstances, express how you plan to deal with that staff member.  Doing this can set you up for much greater trouble than just an annoyed customer.  Instead, simply repeat the issue back to indicate that you understand what has happened with your staff member and then assure that you will take action (without specifying what that action might be).  After addressing the issue, be sure to thank your customer for understanding and for their business.

One of the biggest concerns seen in new franchisees is employees. Many people are intimidated by medium to larger franchises because of this- everything from dealing with payroll to just handling employee conflicts can seem very intimidating to the first time potential business owner. However, it does not have to be this way and there are a number of ways that you can make sure that things go much more smoothly. Bear in mind, also that as you expand and grow- regardless of how small your franchise begins, you may end up wanting to hire on new employees and as your experience with the franchise also grows, you may feel more comfortable with this aspect.

You can begin this by making sure prior to signing a franchise agreement that you feel comfortable with the number of employees you may have to hire. As you do your research on various companies, check into the way they prefer to do business and see if they seem like they may need a large number of employees- if you don’t feel comfortable with that, move on to another. Pare down your options until you have a number that feels workable to you. Often, you can speak to existing franchisees, or visit their locations to see if this is something you feel like you can do. Talking to existing franchisees will also give you a greater insight into how trends worked, and how they began- you never know, you may just find a franchisee that felt just like you do, starting out, but changed their minds as time went on.

Another way to mitigate this area is to look into franchises that require a higher level of skill or training- the higher level of skill, the less headache you may have later on. Typically, employees that are paid higher than minimum wage are less numerous, and those that have the skills needed to draw a higher wage easier to filter through the hiring process and more stable. This is usually due to the number of years they have invested in time and training to learn their particular trades. Often, if you do go into a franchise that requires education and skill, you will find that the hiring pool may be narrower, but you are able to move through the process a little more quickly.

Once you do have a reliable team on board, another thing to consider is the cost and impact of hiring within- this is a great way to reward loyal and hardworking employees, and not deal with the hassle of hiring outside help when promoting. If you feel you have a position that requires a higher level of skill, it is often highly worth it for a number of reasons to hire on someone that you already have on staff, rather than bringing in someone new. These are just a few of the ways that you can work with employee staffing for a franchise- or put yourself into a position where you may not have to deal with some of the more common problems there.

If you are thinking about opening a restaurant, chances are good that you are very passionate about food- and this is the key element to being a success. However, there are a few other things that can enable you to get off on the right foot.

The very first thing to think about is your business plan- you have to be able to do the numbers down to the cent. Making sure that your food is costed appropriately, that you know how much you will need to ensure a profit versus cost and breaking it down into the projected amount of customers that you anticipate having. Generally speaking, planning for a variety of scenarios and outcomes is the best way to ensure that your business plan covers everything that it should. Be prepared for anything, and document that, as well as the numbers associated with it.

Many new restaurant owners find it to be extremely beneficial to hire on a consultant the first year or so of new restaurant ownership. This not only enables you to better find your target market but also, help you to better refine your marketing plans, work out cost verses profit, and generally ensures a much smoother start up. Some owners also bring on the consultant to reassess their business throughout the course of the business life, in order to make sure that they remain on track and profitable.

Initially, also, bearing in mind a flexible menu will help. Being adaptable and noting trends that begin to emerge during the first year will enable you to better refine your menu according to the needs of your customers. Most people who are regulars at any given restaurant are because they know that they can find the consistent quality of service, but also, the foods they enjoy most prepared the way they want each and every time- and you find out what those are through careful attention to the trends as they develop. Also consider your suppliers- there are several benefits to buying your produce locally. First of all, there is a better quality of freshness and usually it is more cost effective, but also there is a marketing angle to buying locally- supporting your local economy and agriculture is a recent trend that many have cashed in on. There are many of these small tweaks to your marketing and business plan that will pay off in big ways, so they are certainly worth considering right from the outset and before you open your doors.

Consider also your training methods and map those out ahead of time. The different responsibilities and aspects of running your restaurant and whom will be handling what are key factors and being able to start up and get running smoothly may depend on how well your staff are trained. Having all of these things set in motion before you begin the business of opening yours will enable you to have everything moving forward more efficiently and get your restaurant turning a much better profit, much faster.

You know that you need to have a stable marketing plan in place when it comes to the success of your business. There are a variety of ways that restaurant owners promote themselves- from coupons, discounts, family and theme nights to other means, it is vital that marketing is seen as an important facet of your business. There are different terms in restaurant marketing, that do not appear in other businesses. The lingo is quite different and there are many differences between marketing another type of business as opposed to a restaurant.

The first term we will look at is “bounceback coupon”- you have probably already seen this and never really realized what it was. When a customer leaves the restaurant and is given a coupon, or sometimes with their check receipt- this is a bounceback coupon. This usually offers discount on a subsequent visit, or free items if the customer returns. These are usually very effective for newer restaurants looking to build a stable and reliable customer base.

Another marketing tactic that is not so much exclusive to restaurants but is really showing signs of potential is a mobile marketing strategy- the use of mobile coupons. These are sent to a mobile device or cell phone, and usually do not have to be printed out. Showing the coupon to the server when ordering, or when arriving at the restaurant, the server takes the appropriate amount off the bill. This is particularly effective as it brings convenience and a sort of instant gratification factor. Going on that trend, another thing that many restaurants now employ is the use of websites. Either offering the convenience of online ordering, or just promoting their menu and promotions, websites are a powerful marketing tool for restaurants.

One more facet of restaurant marketing that can be a little different from regular business is in consulting and analysis. Restaurant consulting when you apply it to food service marketing is allowing an outside company to work on the marketing and advertising. This is usually done very in depth, everything from customer thoughts on food and service to the sorts of foods and pricing is taken into account. Often, these consultants will make use of focus groups to gather opinions and will likely go through trends to find what has worked in the past. In analysis, they will go into not only the restaurant itself, but its competitors and more to discover the very best ways to market that particular restaurant and improvements that may be needed.

Marketing for restaurants has many areas that sort of mirror other businesses, however, there are vast differences that need to be taken into account. Once those factors are in place and a restaurant owner has a pretty good idea of the best ways to promote his or her business, marketing usually is reassessed on a quarterly or sometimes bi annual basis to make sure that it continues to work out for the restaurant itself.

Payroll is a record that restaurant owners keep to record all employee salaries, hourly wages, and deductions for a given pay period. The choices that a restaurant owner has to make are involved, when it comes to payroll. Questions like when employees will be paid and on what schedule, if overtime will be made available, and how it will be paid out, how employees will keep track of their time, and which employees will be salaried and which will be hourly are important. But also, there are other factors to consider such as the sort of paid off time you will, if you decide to provide.

In addition to that, there are certain liabilities that you will need to be accountable for. Making sure that with holdings, medicare and social security are taken care of, as well as accounting for federal and state unemployment tax payable, and state worker’s compensation tax payable. The payroll tax reports that a restaurant owner has to file are a quarterly report, or a Form 941, Federal Unemployment Tax Report, or Form 940,  State Worker’s Compensation and there may be forms for your local taxing authority on a local level, as well.

In addition, a restaurant owner may have to decide the fiscal set up- for instance, asking the question of “Are my staff to be hourly or salaried?” Hourly employees have to receive time and a half for overtime work and are paid hourly, where as salaried employees receive a yearly wage- divided over pay terms, usually monthly and do not receive overtime. Couple this with the choice as to how often employees will be paid- the consideration here is that in order to prepare payroll, it costs money, so, employers generally try to keep paydays to a minimum. Thinking about over time, the consideration is usually if it will ever be available, and if not, how to maintain adequate coverage at all times. Overtime is paid at time and a half and can be very hard on the budget, so most avoid allowing staff to work it.

Common set ups are twice a month, or every other week. Another consideration is full time verses part time employees. There are reasons apart from availability that this is something that has to be thought about- full time employees generally receive benefits, whereas part time do not. An employee is usually considered full time working thirty hours or more during a work week.

These are a few of the considerations with payroll that most restaurant owners and managers face when dealing with payroll. It is often a great deal of paperwork and effort, and can be something that is at some point, passed off to the restaurant owner’s accountant on a tax level. More often than not, the paperwork is dealt with by someone on a managerial level, and the owners do not handle it- however, when it comes to taxes and general payroll set up, this is one area where owners are typically more hands on.

Owning a restaurant is a great deal of work, and there are many responsibilities that come with it. From set up to hiring on proper management staff- there is much work to do. One major responsibility of a restaurant owner is making sure you are well acquainted with state and federal employee laws. Whether that is your state’s minimum wage, over time or tips, there are some basic laws across the board that usually come into play. Understanding and making sure that you are in compliance with these laws will prevent you from having to deal with some major fines in most cases.

Employment of minors always carries some risk, however, it is usually a cost effective way to make sure that you are adequately staffed. The hours and job position that most states allow minors to work are pretty similar, however, they do vary from state to state in some ways. For instance, in Maine, a minor employee can work at fifteen, however, they cannot use or even pick up knives or serve liquor until they are seventeen. It is also usually imperative to adhere to a minimum hours guideline- and understand those may change through out the year in respect to school hours. You have to always ensure a minors age, as well- make sure that you have not only drivers license, social security card, but a birth certificate as well to verify age. Another example of workers that you will have to verify eligibility are alien workers. Immigrants also have restrictions on employment and require more documentation to prove that they are able to work- you verify this through checking a visa or work permit.

Minimum wage usually varies by state, but you as a restaurant owner have probably already checked with your local government to find out what that is- in some states, though, you do have to change the way servers are paid, as they collect tips. As far as tips go, those always belong to the employee themselves. Though in some restaurants there are tip pools where the employees put all of their tips together and divide them equally- this is actually a practice that is to be voluntary and is not enforceable. Employers cannot make their employees use this, and that is something that not many people are actually aware of.

As far as overtime goes- this is any hours worked above the usual forty hour work week. If an employee works those hours- they are to get time and a half. It’s always best to limit overtime because this is one way you will have a great deal of loss through payroll- even if an employee volunteers to work overtime at normal wage- it’s still the law that employers pay the time and a half.

These are just a few of the legal areas that restaurant owners have to be able to be very clear and adhere to given standards in practice. Making sure that you are not only aware of them but keeping practice will help your business to run more smoothly.

Many people are considering Bio Diesel as an alternative fuel, and for good reason- biodiesel is typically cleaner burning, smells better and also better on the environment. While some savvy restaurant owners have come to the conclusion that it is better to recycle and reuse the oil- either by way of filtering better to eliminate loss through waste, or by giving their waste oil to local bio diesel users to convert- the problem remains the same. You cannot simply dump waste vegetable oil, so disposal is often a concern of restaurant owners.

When not disposed of properly, waste vegetable oil is not good for the environment, ironically. It can cause serious damage to local water supply and also, can be problematic for wildlife. Dumping waste vegetable oil in your own parking lot can also cause damage to your sewer and septic systems, and cause a great deal of repair to have to be made- costly repair.

Dumped vegetable oil actually causes a large number of issues with sewer and septic systems because as vegetable oil cools and settles it congeals, which can clog up pipes and cause corrosion of certain materials.

There are a number of kits available on the market now for do it yourself bio diesel afficianados- and the popularity of alternative fuel is taking the world by storm, particularly in the US. So, now, restaurant owners find themselves with a new alternative to paying fees for disposal or having to deal with local ordinances. However, there is also an issue of some bio diesel users not being careful when removing the waste oil- so how do you bring these two things together to benefit both? Some intelligent business owners have simply started to place ads in the paper for the removal of their waste oil, coming together and giving the grease using populace an easy way to obtain their fuel, but also, a great and cost effective way to dispose of the grease.

The FiltaBio service, offered by Filta Franchisees, takes the old oil away and ensures that all the oil goes to biodiesel.  Others still yet simply take the waste vegetable oil to rendering companies. Usually, in these cases it doesn’t even matter how nasty the oil has gotten, not only do the rendering plants need that extra grime in the vegetable oil- they usually will pay to take it. These plants typically make alternatives to fire starters or animal foods from the vegetable oils, and restaurant owners never have to deal with it again. As you can see, there are many other alternatives to simply dumping waste vegetable oil out there- and all have better outcomes than simply tossing it. So, there are a variety of really great ways to take the waste oil issues you may have, and turn them around- not only either benefiting your bottom line, but benefiting the environment as well. Waste vegetable oil does not have to be a headache- as a matter of fact, with a little bit of negotiation, your “trash” can become someone else’s “treasure”.

The kitchen is the most important place in any restaurant. This is where food is prepped, delivered, made, and plated in a presentation that will be most appealing to the customers. Being able to maintain a neat, orderly and above all safe kitchen is paramount to any restaurant manager. Most restaurant kitchens are made up of several stations. From Prep, saute, pizza, salad and more, depending on the size of the restaurant there may be only a couple, or there may be many. When you’re thinking about your kitchen, consider the menu that you offer. If you have many salads on the menu, having an adequately stocked salad station is key, grilled food requires a larger grill to make sure that food gets prepped, prepared and delivered faster. Being able to maintain good space requirements, and understanding the space limits you have will help, also.

How you stock your kitchen will be very important, too. You have to make sure that all of the equipment you have is appropriate and efficient. However, it is usually beneficial to get much of the equipment used- this is a cost effective way to stock your kitchen and serving utensils, dishes, and other small items can really be obtained much more cheaply this way. For larger pieces, such as grills and ovens, you need to be a bit more careful to ensure that they have more life left in them. You may also want to think about leasing your equipment, particularly in respect to things like ice makers, which typically have a very short span of use.

Safety should be in your mind at all times. Always ensure that there is plenty of space for movement around things like the grill, ovens, and fryers. There needs to be enough room for your staff to be able to do their jobs and in such a way that does not compromise safety. Being sure that all areas where hot things are served, prepared or otherwise handled have appropriate safety measures is key, and making sure that your staff is well trained in how to handle certain situations will also be beneficial. As a routine part of your maintenance routine- make sure you have lists available on the way that you want each and every process done. This may be anything from how to clean the grills and ovens, to how to clean, filter and maintain the fryer- but make sure that everyone is very clear on what it is that needs to be done and in what fashion.

Keeping your kitchen safe is a major part of running a good restaurant. Your staff deserve and have the right to a safe and well organized work space that is as free of risk factors for injury as possible. Being aware of the space requirements from the outset and planning accordingly can help you to create a safe workplace before staff even enter the door. These are a few small ways to make sure that you’re not only running an efficient, but safe kitchen.

On the whole, if you asked the staff of ten restaurants what they hated the most about their line of work, the kitchen staffs from each of these restaurants would tell you- the commercial deep fryer is a dreaded machine, lurking there, waiting to be cleaned. From filtering the oil, to actually changing the oil and dealing with the vents- what a mess! Most staff do not relish the idea of waiting for the temperature to drop, dealing with the downtime, the potential burns, grease splatters and often slipper floors after. Training new employees to clean the fryer can be problematic- some employees are too young to even be allowed to touch it, let alone clean it. However, there are some things you can do to train employees to deal with the dreaded deep fryer in a better way.

First you have to get the fryer ready to be cleaned, and this involves letting the oil cool. Beginning with this, you have to realize that the fryer is kept at a constant heat- usually right around 350F, and that takes a long time to cool properly. Turning the fryer off, unplugging it, and allowing the oil to get down to a workable temperature is important. The highest the temperature should be when cleaning is roughly 150F. Once it has reached this temperature or lower, you can then begin the cleaning process.
Once the fryer oil has cooled, then comes draining it of the oil. As you allow the oil to drain from the vat, you will want to take any baskets or utensils used and wash them separately. After all of the oil is removed from the fryer, then you have to scrape it clean. Particle build up is a big problem for fryers- and if the scraping is not done properly, not only will the new oil be compromised and make it so the food does not taste the best that it could, but, it can also cause mechanical problems and safety issues with the fryer itself. Using a metal spatula, scraping down the sides and being sure to get into the corners is usually best.

For every type of fryer, there may be a different way of cleaning- and this is the actual deep cleaning that is so vital to the continued maintenance of the machine. Fill the fryer with water and a soap solution made for cleaning deep fryers, and plug the fryer back in- turn it on and allow the water to come to a boil. Once it has reached a good, rolling boil, then unplug the fryer again, and allow the water to cool, draining the soap solution just as you did with the oil. Rinse with a rinsing agent, and then, rinse it again with water.

Generally, a decent solvent will take care of the outside of the fryer. Sometimes you may find that you have to allow the solvent to sit to make sure that you have removed any caked on grease. Wiping the fryer down, making sure to give it a good once over with dry towels or cloth can help your fryer to not only look better, but smell better also. Once this is all done, you have to make sure that the area around the fryer itself isn’t still greasy. Often, throughout the normal course of a day, the area in front of a fryer gets a thin layer of grease which can cause slip and fall accidents. As this is the last step, the fryer, and the area around it should be ready to run again with the next shift.

The alternative… get a Filta technician in to manage your fryers.

There are many different types of oil you can use in your commercial fryer that will make a difference in not only the taste of the oil, but the longevity of it, and the cost, as well. Filtering is an important factor of regular deep fryer maintenance because of the nature of the foods cooked in the oil. Preventing food particles from building up and causing problems for your fryer is very important, but this can also impact other areas of the fryer and the food you serve, as well.

The typical commercial fryer holds about twenty gallons of oil. One gallon of vegetable oil usually runs roughly $4.96 dollars a gallon. So, each refill of a twenty gallon commercial fryer costs around $99.20. If you’re a busy restaurant, that can mean going through quite a lot of vegetable oil- and filtering is important because it prolongs the life of that oil. Generally, though, for most commercial fryers, the stable oil lasts about 100 hours. However, factoring in the actual cooking, you’ll lose about 1/5th of your oil- that’s about four gallons. In an improperly filtered fryer- that number can increase pretty dramatically. But, we’ll say in a fifty batch of food day in a restaurant, you’ve lost $19.84, just in running the fryer as normal. Different types of oil don’t really make much difference in this- the differences in the oils are health and flavor related, for the most part. Though, considering the sort of oil you use in your fryer may be an important and wise marketing tactic, as health conscious as people are these days.

The reasons that you’d want to filtered that oil are numerous, but looking at the above paragraph, you realize that anything that would prolong the life of that oil- and 100 hours at a 50 batch of food a day run is going to end up costing you about $175.00 every four days without a filter- assuming you only do 50 batches. More than that, the cost shoots up further. With a filter, you prevent the breakdown of the oil itself. So, filtration is very important for economic reasons alone. Each and every little food particle that builds up further and faster breaks down that oil. Having a good filter system or having the oil regularly filtered can actually cut that cost in half, sometimes even more than that, but there are other benefits. Consider your fryer and how much it costs. Now consider that while yes, all that particle build up is causing issues with the oil- but what about that large, complex and expensive piece of machinery it is frying in?
That’s right. Filtration can also save you on maintenance and even having to replace your fryer itself. So, to recap, not only does filtration of the oil save you money in oil costs, but it makes your food taste better longer, gets rid of those yucky little extras that people sometimes find in their fried foods, but also prolongs the overall life of your commercial fryers themselves.

For more on filtafry visit filta.com.

Kitchen workers, especially fry cooks may have a greater risk for injuries like burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. Though commercial fryers are relatively easy to use, injuries can and often do occur in the routine course of using them and especially in maintenance. Consider that frying oil is generally kept at a temperature of about 350 degrees, anyone who works around them is at risk for injuries due to splashing oil. As to carbon monoxide poisoning, most commercial fryers come with a specialized vent for diverting the gas into a vent hood. However, when that vent hood is compromised or the exhaust is not properly maintained, the entire kitchen can very quickly fill with the gas.

Protective measures are best. Restaurant managers need to be absolutely on top of their employees safety at all times. While it is true that it is the responsibility of the manager to provide a safe work environment, there are a number of things that employees themselves can be doing to ensure that they are safely handling the fryer systems. Management has to take care to make sure that there are nonslip pads on the floor near the fryer, that all employees handling the fryer are well trained and always cautious, that the vent hoods are regularly inspected and in working order, and that there is a class K fire extinguisher nearby in the event of an emergency. Inadequate or training that has not been taken seriously when using fryers is a big cause of injury amongst food service workers. Always take roughhousing and other hazardous behaviors very seriously and discipline accordingly to not only prevent injury, but insurance premium costs that can come of even minor injuries as a result.
Here are a few tips for employees so that they can protect themselves from injury when working around the fryer.

• Always be sure to wear slip resistant shoes and the proper safety equipment. Pot holders and oven mitts should be used when lifting baskets and always wear steam gloves when changing or filtering the oil.
• Only add the oil to the fill line. An overfull fryer vat is an accident waiting to happen, as the oil can boil over very easily if it is too full.
• If you experience symptoms like dizziness, weakness or nausea, check with coworkers to find out if they are also experiencing them. If so, report this to the management immediately and be sure that the vent hood is in full working order.
• Never have drinks around the fryer- this can cause ice or liquid to go into the hot oil, which can cause splattering and splash overs that can cause injury.
• Always allow the oil plenty of time to cool before removal of vent filters and cleaning.
• Keep the floor around the fryer clean and dry at all times. An oily or slippery floor can lead to slips which will cause a burn.
• Never drop baskets abruptly into the oil. Always lower slowly, with care not to splash or move too quickly.

Effective Restaurant Management: Secret’s In the Sauce

One area that many restaurant managers do not get as involved in their management as they should is food prep. This sounds a bit far fetched, but bear in mind that some of the largest fast food and other restaurant franchises have one thing in common: all have a very consistent menu. The way that they do things, is the way that they have always done things- and the public likes that. If you want to see an increase in your profits, whether you’re managing a local mom and pop diner, to a territory in a bigger franchise- consistency is key. Sure, there is a great deal to be said for bringing new product, but, keep your recipes the same. There are a number of reasons why controlling your food prep is a great idea in being an effective manager, and we’ll go into those now.

First of all, as mentioned above, people like knowing they can get what they like. Basically, they enjoy knowing what to expect. National Restaurant Association surveys show that an average sit down restaurant gets about sixty percent of its business from repeat customers, but the average fast food or casual restaurant may get up to eighty percent of all business from repeats. This means that customers are looking to have the familiar and that is what you have to provide.

Secondly, consider the cost implication. If you have a clear cut standard of doing things and a method behind all of the food that is prepared, you can control loss in a big way. You do this by being able to ensure that expensive ingredients are not used where they are not needed, exact portions are enforced and knowing exactly how much of a product you are making. Everyone’s experienced the line cooks that don’t use a formula and how either recipes go very wrong, aren’t enough for all of the portions needed, or had to deal with employees feeling that they could simply have a taste or lunch break at the expense of the restaurant. If you use a set model for every recipe and menu item that your provide, the risk of loss in these ways is much less.

Thirdly, managing portions is easier with a set recipe for each dish you offer. Once you have that set recipe, you can also provide the tools that your staff needs to ensure that each portion is precise and accurate. Making sure that every product that goes on your line is already measured out into the exact need based on trends is a very useful way to also cut your costs, controlling food usage and also, time spent in prep before it goes out to the customer.

These are just a few small ways that having a set standard can enable you to be a more effective restaurant manager. A quick glance around your kitchen and you may just find that the more organized you are- down to the smallest condiment, the better your cost to profit ratios will be.

For more on filtafry visit filta.com.

In recent years, one name has been consistently making a splash within the food-service industry by helping businesses run more efficiently, improve the quality of their products and save a lot of money.  Even more impressive is the fact that this much talked about business offers not one, but two outstanding services to help improve businesses.  So who is this incredible business that has so many people talking?  It is the industry leader in environmental kitchen solutions, Filta.

Who is Filta?

The Filta Group originated in the U.K. in 1996.  What started as a small fryer and waste oil management service, called FiltaFry, quickly grew and spread across the U.K. and, eventually across the globe.  Filta has quickly made a name for itself in the United States for helping businesses “go green” in their kitchens while saving a lot of money.  Now with the addition of FiltaCool filters for commercial refrigeration units, there are even more ways to save money, streamline operations, reduce waste and improve quality.

A Look at FiltaFry

FiltaFry, Filta’s premier service, takes the concept of waste oil removal to a whole new level.  While traditional waste oilremoval services simply charge you to come by and empty out your oil bin, FiltaFry revolutionizes the very way that you use your fryers.  FiltaFry is a complete fryer and oil management service.  When you use FiltaFry in your restaurant or other commercial kitchen, you can expect to see a dramatic drop in the amount of shortening you use in your fryers.  Many customers report that, with FiltaFry, their oil costs are cut in half!

Filta helps reduce oil usage by 50% by its highly efficient micro-filtration process.  Most commercial fryer filters only catch large particles in the 200-300 micron range.  Smaller particles, like carbon fibers, remain to degrade oil and render it unfit for frying.  FiltaFry filtration removes particles as small as 2-3 microns in size.  As a result your oil lasts longer and tastes better.  The FiltaFry service also includes fryer cleaning and maintenance, taking the burden and risk off of your staff.

The New FiltaCool

Even if you don’t use fryers in your business, if you use a walk-in cooler or any other type of commercial refrigeration unit, then Filta can help your business run better and more cost effectively.  FiltaCool filters are specifically designed to meet the needs of commercial cooler.  FiltaCool filters are inexpensive to get and take up virtually no space inside your cooling unit.

FiltaCool filters work in several ways to modify the environment inside of you cooler.  They trap gases that accelerate decomposition, regulate humidity, trap odors, and discourage bacterial growth.  Coolers that use FiltaCool filters run much more energy efficiently.  Because they don’t have to work as hard to maintain a stable temperature, units with FiltaCool filters installed need less maintenance and last longer, too.

No matter what your business needs, Filta can help you get your business running more efficiently, more cost effectively and more environmentally friendly.  Filta comes to you on your schedule to provide you the services you need to optimize your business.  With Filta you can “go green” while saving some green.

The biggest trend right now in business is going green- both a benefit to the environment and the budget, this trend is one that is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. This transition leaves many business owners a little stymied as to how to make the change without hurting their bottom line, but it is a vital change that in order to keep up with the trend, needs to be made. This isn’t just impacting those who own restaurants either- this trend stretches out over any business, but those who prepare food are also feeling the pinch of economic stresses, coupled with the pressures of needing a better way of doing things. Being able to combine a more Eco friendly way of doing things, with a better quality service, as well as keeping to a budget does not have to be as difficult as it may seem on the outset.

Some businesses have begun to sell reusable bags for shopping, others offer organic variations of the foods they serve, and others still yet are active in their communities- offering everything from recycling their own wastes to adopting stretches of roads for cleanup. But there is one often overlooked way to change the way you do business to a more environmentally conscious one, save money, time and even improve the safety of your staff. If you knew that it was as simple as a phone call to green your routine, would you do it?

That’s just what many have done. One area where improvements can be made to green up your routine that is often overlooked is the cooking oil. That’s right, that bubbling, boiling fryer can bring about a more socially acceptable impression to the public, save you money and make a powerful impact on the environment. Victor Clewes, CEO Of the Filta Group has known this for some time. Heading up an internationally known and recognized leader in environmentally friendly waste oil recycling and disposal, he offers this look at the benefits of recycling and reusing the cooking oil you’re already using in your line of work.

“The price of cooking oil, as a commodity, has sky-rocketed in the last year and the need for efficient operations has never been greater,” says Clewes, “Filtering and re-using cooking oil reduces oil purchases. Reduced oil purchases result in cost and waste savings. Then, when the oil can no longer be used for cooking, it becomes bio-fuel. Nothing is wasted. It’s used in the food we eat, then in the cars we drive. It becomes a net positive for the environment as well as a restaurant’s bottom line.”

This isn’t exclusive to those who are more environmentally conscious and already running a sort of green business- oh, no, many restaurants, hospitals, and basically anywhere that serves food and has good sense towards being able to lower their budget have adopted this greener way of doing things. It’s easy to see just how not having to replace oil would have a big impact- being able to bring in someone to recycle the oil is more important than ever.

Every day, more and more businesses are springing up that are geared towards the concept of environmentally friendly ways of doing things. More and more make headlines as they are seen as not following suit and that is something that really hurts- so, how can existing businesses cash in on the benefits of going green, and avoid the bad publicity that comes from not doing things in such an environmentally conscious way? Many have taken to finding better means of running their own establishments but still yet find themselves at a loss for how to continually improve the ‘green’ aspects.

Look no further than your coolers, refrigeration systems, and freezers. The first thing many people think about when they try to trim the fat in their budgets is generally waste and loss management in inventory. Being able to find ways to cut the loss of inventory but still yet continue to run a profitable business can be a tricky area for some, but it really doesn’t have to be. What if you had a way to not only reduce the amount of inventory related loss, but also save on things like energy bills and equipment replacement, as well as promoting a more environmentally friendly way of doing things?
You can and it is as simple as looking at the filtration system in your cooling units.

Humidity control is a huge problem for those with cooling units as a part of their business and many do not realize that in solving this problem, they may also have an option to run things in a much more environmentally friendly way. Most know that ice buildup can be a real problem and can cause higher energy bills and ruin food inventory- but also solving that problem is a Green step forward. The key in being more environmentally friendly is often seen in the slogan, “reduce, recycle and reuse”- and reduce is the area this applies to. The latest offering from the Filta Group is known as FiltaCool, and this comes in to save the day for many. Studies published by the company have shown that “FiltaCool increases equipment life on average, by 35%, while reducing energy costs by 10%.”
That helps your business, AND the environment, it’s certainly a win win.

FiltaCool’s innovative cooling system reduces humidity in cooling units- this works out well for several reasons. Uncontrolled humidity causes bacteria buildup, premature spoilage and higher electric costs, but at the same time maintains the amount of humidity that is needed within the storage unit. Coming from a franchise already well known for higher environmental standards, this is an intelligent solution and just one way you can take steps towards greening your routine, but also lowering your budget quite by quite alot. Being able to reduce your waste output, as well as your energy use, all combines to create a bigger picture of not only being a greener business but also, saving you money in these sometimes uncertain economic times.

Air relative humidity impacts the lifespan and overall quality of many refrigerated products. A lower relative humidity can be the cause of too much evaporative moisture loss from unwrapped produce and goods, which can cause quality defects as well as the premature spoilage of the produce and inventory itself. Higher relative humidity often causes microbiological growth, resulting in a great deal of bacterial problems. This can also lead to problems with condensation causing ice to form- both bad for your power bill and horrible on storage boxes made of paper and cardboard. However, a new product by the Filta group is changing the way that some food service professionals think about their cooling systems. As the economy gets a bit tighter and food prices go up, often the question is, “How can I prevent loss and spoilage in my food service business to cut my budget woes?” Making a few smart choices can do just that.

Many already know of the Filta Group from its flagship enterprise Filtafry, a microfiltering service that prolongs the lifespan of cooking oil and then disposes of the same oil once it has reach the end of its use, but are unaware that the newer product, FiltaCool is also a beneficial service. Think about it, as a food service owner, you likely spend about 30% of your overall budget on inventory- what if there was a way to prolong the life of your produce, prevent premature spoilage, increase safety and make your cooled storage facilities much more energy efficient?

Ramin Foramarzi, the Project Manager of Southern California’s Edison Refrigeration and Thermal Test Center has said in a statement, “If you can improve energy consumption you’re essentially improving profit margin.” and he is not wrong. Those who are already using the FiltaCool service have noted a great reduction in relative humidity, but also, have seen a drastic improvement in their running costs and repair and maintenance of the cooling units themselves, which makes for a powerful, winning combination.

The small box is virtually unnoticed in cooling units and refrigeration systems, but offers as Filta is known for, an environmentally sound means of reducing relative humidity and keeping a stable, healthy level. In doing this, the units have to run less in cool down time, but also avoid having to defrost as often which not only lowers the power bill but packs a powerful punch when it comes to the impact on the machine itself.

Though the economy is at times uncertain, many smart business owners are finding that in adapting to these changes by making the inventory that they have stretch longer, careful maintenance of their own equipment and making a few small changes such as having a Filtafry technician take care of both their fryers and their cooling units each week makes a big difference in their bottom line and saves them a great deal of money. Also, in having the technician come in, reduced risk of injury in both respects makes this a great option for those who are ready to take the next step in a more sustainable business plan.