With increased focus on food safety incidents, what can restaurant owners and managers do to hit the headlines for the right reasons? Bad news stories are guaranteed to create interest. A one-star hygiene rating, allergy incident or shocking trip advisor review will bring negative attention and affect new and existing custom. But a proactive approach to food safety, and an intelligent social media style can help you avoid the pitfalls and deal with unexpected challenges.

Reach for 5 stars

The food hygiene rating scheme offers customers an insight into your business before they step through your door, so working towards that five-star sticker really is a no-brainer. An EHO audit can feel intimidating, but much like public speaking, if you’re well prepared, you can face it with confidence. Undertaking your own audit keeps you a step ahead. By identifying areas of weakness, you have the opportunity to plan and undertake remedial action BEFORE the EHO visits. The Safer Food Group’s free five star rating course describes the audit process and provides you with a comprehensive checklist.

Effective Training

Recent allergy incidents have highlighted concerns for staff training standards in a number of high profile chain restaurants. However you deliver training, it is vital to choose a method that equips your team with the skills, knowledge and confidence to uphold high safety standards.

Consider your team’s learning styles – would they benefit from face-to-face delivery, or an online course that allows them to repeat tricky topics at their own speed? Would interactive quizzes engage them, or would they rather listen to a trainer? Are they adept at learning on their mobiles or laptops, or would they prefer to read printed course material?

Choosing a training provider who is transparent about their course material will help you decide – and undertaking the training yourself will enable you to reinforce key messages and knowledge within the workplace. To trial Safer Food Group courses, drop us a line on info@thesaferfoodgroup.com

Social media

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may find yourself the centre of unwanted attention. Responding to negative reviews and press can help to turn the tide – but only if you do so in a carefully considered way.

Our top tips for handling situations are:

• Take a breath. Give yourself a chance to work through the emotion and frustration and don’t let it spill into your response.
• Respond in a timely way, demonstrating you take feedback seriously.
• Use a professional, polite tone. Some businesses have made a success of deliberately blunt responses, but it’s a difficult line to balance.
• Discuss the issue briefly but ask for a personal contact to get full details from the affected customer.
• Get a trusted colleague to review your response before posting. Their perspective might even make them a better choice to handle this type of work.

Being well prepared will help prevent most PR challenges and help you deal with them well if they do happen. So get your plan, and your training, in place now!