Top Tips for Food Storage: Keep Your Café Healthy

While there are multiple aspects that could be responsible for a café’s success or failure, the quality of the food and drinks they serve is certainly one of the most important ones to consider. Today, we are going to concentrate on a core aspect ofimproving the quality of the dishes served in your restaurant, which is of course, proper storage.

Implement the FIFO Rule Effectively 

First In, First Out (FIFO) is among the oldest tricks in the book,and one that should be the first on everyone’s list. The name itself is quite self-explanatory, so the idea is that the fresher a particular food item is, the further back it should be shelved, putting the comparatively older food in front to be cleared out first.

This is applicable for storage freezers, display racks, shelves and everything else that is being used for storing or displaying foodand drinks. Simple as it is, FIFO helps save a lot of money and food by enabling cafés and restaurants to maximise their perishable supplies as best as they can.

Invest in a Good Ice Machine

Whether it’s for supplying ice cubes with the drinks, or for presenting the meat and seafood with ice flakes, if you are running a restaurant, you will need an ice machine. The important bit is that it also needs to be a good one because you need to be able to rely on it.

Go through your options on Fridge Freezer Direct and make sure that you choose something that serves your needs appropriately,and is manufactured by a reputed OEM like Scotsman, Polar or Hoshizaki. Be careful not to underestimate your needs, because ice is the single most important item when it comes to storing the perishables.

Meat Goes Below Everything

Meat storage is the trickiest and toughest part of food storage because it spoils easily, even while in cold storage. This is why flaking it with ice is a common practice in restaurants and cafés. It is also necessary that you place your meat/fish below everything else, so that the juices don’t end up spilling onto the food items below.

The 6-Inch Rule - It’s Useful in the UK as Well

The FDA made it officially illegal for any and all food items to be stored at ground level back in 2009. There must be a minimum gap of six inches or higher in between the floor and the stored food items, as long as the business is operating in the US. Although you are not doing business in the US, you can actually gain from this rule all the same.

Not only is it beneficial for the health of your customers, but this simple rule keeps food from getting spoiled via spillage, dirt, dust, etc. and may even help you to avoid certain pest infestations in your storage.

The restaurant business has tremendous opportunities in the UK, with confirmed sources reporting that in 2017 alone, £88 billion+ was spent by consumers at restaurants/cafés/diners. Whether you are trying to start a new venture, or just trying to make your current establishment more profitable, these few tips for intelligent food storage should help you make the most of thebooming sector by reducing your yearly spoiled food expenses.