Essentials of conducting Restaurant Kitchen Operational Audits

A large proportion of population loves eating out. They love the food and almost visits some restaurant every week. But what if one day you come to know that your favorite restaurant kitchen does not have a pest control certification or uses stale ingredients etc.

With restaurants comes restaurant aggregators like Zomato, Dineout and EazyDiner which lists prominent restaurants as well as customer reviews and feedback about them. Bad reviews dampen the image of a restaurant and does not usually end up becoming a likely choice of customers.

Restaurateurs regularly conduct mystery shopping to assess customer experience at their restaurants. However, it is equally important to conduct kitchen hygiene audits to monitor the health and safety of the ingredients as well as food served to customers.

Channelplay conducts Kitchen Operational audits at restaurants to measure the standard kitchen operating procedures, which include Food & Ingredients storage condition & hygiene, cleaning Methods - Master Cleaning Daily Schedule (MCDS), necessary food & facility safety certifications like Pest control, Fire control etc. The parameters included in this audit are listed as below:

1. Cleanliness: This is the most important aspect while assessing kitchen hygiene. Once in the Kitchen, the auditors evaluate the following:
   • Floors & Walls: Should have no flaking paint or broken tiles
   • Operating area: Should be clutter free and dust free
   • Sanitation Chemicals: Usage of color-coded cleaning program
   • Utensils & cooking appliances: Should be free from any dust or dirt build up
   • Cleaning equipment: Availability of washing cloth, towels etc.
   • Cleaning schedules: Checking regular cleaning schedules and checklist maintenance

2. Maintenance: This evaluation parameter covers:
   • Regular service of appliances: Checking last service date, eg. RO water purifier or Oven maintenance etc.
   • Electrical fittings & wiring: Checking any loose wires or broken lights/fittings
   • Sinks & drainage: Checking drains of sink to be unblocked and free flowing
   • Validity of Certifications: Checking the validity of necessary certifications like pest control, fire safety to ensure the safety of food as well as kitchen staff.

3. Storage: The storage area can be split into Non-food storage, cold storage and dry storage. The auditors through this parameter evaluate:
   • Temperature: Storage of ingredients & food at the right temperature
   • Validity of products: Checking the validity of ingredients or food
   • Storing pattern: Storing food, crockery & ingredients as per standards/best practices, for eg. Crocker should be placed upside down to avoid contamination or cleaning; sanitation chemicals must not be stored above food, utensils etc.

4. Personal Hygiene: There are certain factors which are usually observed during an audit like:
   • Availability and usage of hand sanitizer by the staff members before cooking a meal
   • Usage of aprons, gloves and head caps
   • Non-usage of mobiles while cooking food or with hand gloves on
   • Use of fresh spoons/forks for food tasting

A restaurant kitchen is an integral back-end element which plays a big part in defining customer experience at the front end. Restaurant kitchen operational audit is a must for every restaurant which adheres to high standards of quality.