Certified Food Manager MN Archives

July 6, 2020June 8, 2020

How Certified Food Managers Can Help Their Restaurant Increase Web Presence

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and rules surrounding the reopening of dining facilities, restaurants in Minnesota and around the nation are struggling to get noticed. Minnesota has some very specific regulations requiring how eateries can reopen, and this has certified food managers scratching their heads figuring out how to alert their guests that they are open and may require reservations for sit-down service. Given current circumstances, increasing your web presence is very important for certified food managers to let patrons know how to contact your restaurant.

Online Resources Available to Certified Food Managers to Reach Restaurant Diners

Under current rules walk-in service is not allowed, so customers must contact restaurants to make reservations to dine-in or request pickup, and most potential guests will find their restaurant of choice’s contact details via the internet. The most common ways diners find contact info include:

Google search
Map search for “restaurants near me”
Reservation or delivery apps

When people want to find something on the internet, most computer and smart phone users turn to Google. Did you ever wonder why some local businesses rank higher in the search results than others? The reason is that those businesses have an active and updated Google My Business listing. Signing up for a Google My Business listing not only gives your restaurant a chance to be seen when local customers search for dining in their area, it also quickly supplies all the necessary contact information in one place. Google My Business also comes with the added bonus of placing a marker for your location on Google Maps. This makes your restaurant visible when potential guests virtually browse the area virtually.

It may be wise for certified food managers to consider an Apple Maps Connect listing for your establishment to increase your restaurant’s on-line presence as well. It’s very similar to a Google My Business listing in the respect that iPhone users can access your information via the Apple Maps app.

Delivery and pickup has become the most common way customers order from restaurants. Associating your establishment with a delivery app is a must during these times. Some commonly used delivery and ordering apps include:

Grubhub
Postmates
DoorDash
UberEats

All of these apps have different registration procedures and benefits, so a little research may be necessary to figure out which ones best suit your needs. Many customers are ordering takeout via an app, so it’s best not to neglect them.

How are you reaching your customers these days and what hints can you give to other certified food managers on how to increase their restaurant’s web presence?

June 29, 2020June 8, 2020

Reservation Tips for Certified Food Protection Managers During COVID-19

As part of the reopening plan for Minnesota restaurants, Governor Tim Walz’s guidelines require restaurants to take reservations for all guests who wish to sit down and dine at your eatery. This can cause confusion and some challenges for certified food protection managers at establishments that don’t normally rely on reservations to know when guests are coming. We’d like to give you a few tips and outline a few procedures you can put into place to ensure you’re following the guidelines and providing a smooth dining experience for guests and staff.

Certified Food Protection Managers and Reservation Guidelines

We know that table seating will be limited during the phased reopening of Minnesota’s restaurants. During these phases of limited seating, reservations will be required, and that could actually help restaurants follow other guidelines as well as control the flow of business in their restaurant. Let’s take a look at some things you may wish to consider when planning a strategy for taking reservations:

Personally touch base with guests who leave messages
Take orders when reservations are placed
Provide a time limit for table occupation
Make sure your contact details are available to the public

It’s important to confirm reservations with guests who request a reservation either via phone message or e-mail. With limited seating available, this can prevent a table from being double booked. The reservation guideline has been put into place so certified food protection managers can avoid the unnecessary gathering of groups of unrelated guests, and overbooking your establishment could create a scenario where social distancing in waiting areas cannot be enforced.

Taking orders, or a partial order, when reservations are made can help speed up service. Since you have a small amount of serving options available, you may have a limited time in which to serve guests before the next reservation arrives. If you know what your guests will be ordering in advance, you can begin preparing meals once they are seated. You may also wish to have an end time for reservations. You know your restaurant best, so create a time limit that doesn’t rush your guests but provides adequate time to sanitize and prepare the table for the next reservation.

Finally, provide a way for guests to find you. Make sure that your Google Business listing is up to date and all information on dining apps and popular websites is accurate.

June 1, 2020May 11, 2020

Certified Food Managers and Social Distancing in Eateries

certified food managers spacing tables for social distancing

As we prepare for the future of restaurant service, it’s important to look ahead to some new protocols that food managers may be required to utilize as Minnesota restaurants and cafes prepare to reopen their doors for in-house service. There is some speculation that Minnesota restaurants will have to follow some sort of social distancing in order to reduce the risk of a second COVID-19 outbreak. We’ve taken a look at what some other states are doing and have some tips for certified food managers on social distancing once business resumes.

Food managers preparing for social distancing in eateries

How can Certified Food Managers Enact Social Distancing?

It’s been put forth by health officials that people should maintain a space of at least six feet apart while in public, but how would this look in restaurants?

The first thing that becomes apparent is that restaurants, cafes and other sit-down eateries will have to reduce their maximum capacity, at least at first. Multi-sectioned restaurants can achieve this by opening up the entire dining floor, even on days when business wouldn’t normally warrant having multiple seating sections. This can provide adequate space for guests with tables being more than six feet apart. Food establishments with small dining areas may not be able to seat in multiple sections, but certified food managers should rearrange dining space to ensure tables meet future social distancing protocols.

There will be times when social distancing won’t be an option, such as in cafes where the register is next to baristas. In this case, you may wish to install a shield or a sneeze guard that is hung in a way where there are no openings at mouth level. Leaving a small space between the counter and the start of the shield will allow payment and wrapped baked goods to be passed back and forth.

What about service staff? It’s impossible for orders to be taken and food delivered from six feet away. This is a scenario where a tabletop ordering system could help promote social distancing. If guests can place and pay for their order remotely, then this greatly reduces interaction between server and guest. Food will still need to be brought to the table, and at this point we can only assume certified food managers will require staff to wear masks and gloves for kitchen-to-table delivery and situations where servers must take an order in person.

Do you have plans for potential social distancing regulations once your restaurant reopens?

May 12, 2020May 11, 2020

COVID-19 Resources for CFPMs

Many small businesses across the country have been hit hard by measures put into place to slow the COVID-19 outbreak, but restaurants, in particular, have taken a huge financial hit since social distancing protocols have been enacted. If you’re a small-business restaurant owner or the certified food protection manager(CFPMs ) of a small to medium sized establishment, you should familiarize yourself with some COVID-19 related resources that can help your business survive until it’s time to open up for more than just takeout service.

COVID-19 Resources for CFPMs-SBA Payment Protection Plan — *Image credit: shealah_craighead via Flickr*

COVID-19 Related Financial Aids for CFPMs and owners of Small Restaurants

One of the most talked about financial programs for small-businesses is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is a loan set up by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) to not only help small businesses stay afloat but be able to pay their employees during these hard times. While there are some rules to follow, the SBA may forgive some or all of your loan balance if you keep employees on payroll for eight weeks, use the money to pay utilities, rent, mortgage interest and keep payroll funded.

There are also Non-government COVID-19 related resources for restaurant owners and CFPMs. Several companies that are making it easier, and free, for restaurants to take to-go and delivery orders as well as provide ways for potential customers to know that you’re still open for take-out and delivery.

The Ordering App is waving it’s 1.5% ordering fee until July 1.

Google is offering ad credits for small and medium-sized businesses.

Yelp is offering numerous incentives. They are offering free access to Yelp Reservations and Yelp Waitlist for three months to help smaller restaurants facilitate orders. Yelp is also offering several different options for relief from restaurateurs who either utilize Yelp Ads or are considering doing so during current stay-at-home regulations.

Chowly, a system that streamlines online ordering and POS systems, is waving all set-up fees during the pandemic.

Presto has a program to provide kiosk ordering systems free of charge. These range from tablets to table-top ordering systems and can reduce direct contact with customers ordering takeout at your facility.

Finally, the National Restaurant Association has started the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. If you’re a certified food protection manager who has been forced to reduce employee hours or in drastic cases furlough some of your staff, you may want to point staff members who have been financially impacted to this fund. Rather than providing support to businesses, the RERF is focused on the individual hospitality workers who have sustained financial hardships.

Are there any other COVID-19 relief programs for CFPMs you think we should share with other readers?