Cell phones at work can affect health, food safety, productivity and customer service. Harmful viruses are found on phones and other objects. Understanding how to prevent viruses is crucial to the health of your families, customers and fellow team members. I find it surprising how lax phone use policies seem to be. Using the phone …
The Food and Drug Administration, using data from the Centers for Disease Control, has identified certain food code violations that are linked with foodborne illness. Here are Thornhill Training’s top 10 found in Texas. Are your employees aware of these risky practices that can result in foodborne illness and cost your restaurant its permit and …
During inspections it’s common for health inspectors to ask food handlers questions about their tasks and how are things done. When a health inspector speaks directly to employees they tend to get nervous or even freak out like when being pulled over by a police officer. When anxious it’s easy to answer questions incorrectly or …
Sooner or later you will work with a bad, bored or burned-out manager and it seems even more common in foodservice. They’re the ones that are in a rut, overwhelmed, not taking the time to properly hire and train employees and avoiding change. Those in foodservice know it takes hard work, it’s challenging, no …
As many of us in the food-service industry I started working at a restaurant/hotel at 16. The managers who also happened to be the sons of the owner flirted and maybe even more with employees. I think most of us back then thought flirting was the way it was and blew it off. Basically, thoughts …
New Rules on Immigration Enforcement Could Affect Your Business With new rules on immigration enforcement by the Trump administration in play, now is the time for restaurant operators to make sure worker I-9 documentation is in order. The Department of Homeland Security on Feb 21 issued orders outlining President Trump’s plan for immigration enforcement, instructing …
Outdoor and evening dining seems to be getting darker and darker making it difficult to read menus. I enjoy having a margarita on outdoor patios, but when I can’t read the menu due to poor lighting it can be frustrating. Thank goodness for the flashlight on my phone! One option to “lighten things up”…Recently, I …
Cooking Temperatures The process of cooking is to raise the temperature of food to kill bacteria and other types of harmful pathogens/microorganisms/bacteria to a level where food is safe to eat. If the temperature of a food does not reach the temperature needed to kill the pathogens, a person consuming the food may become ill from foodborne …
Don’t get fined due to expired permits and certifications! Remember to check expiration dates for Food Manager Certification which is valid for *5 years and Food Handler registration which is valid for 2. For those that need to renew their food manager or food handler certification visit our class schedule. The food establishment permit is renewed …
The holidays provide an excellent opportunity to promote customer loyalty and attract new customers. There are many ways that businesses try to attract new customers as well as keeping current customers returning through loyalty programs. For example, rewards cards, food specials, sponsorships, and email marketing. Here’s a creative yet simple way of retaining customers. One …