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Online menu design ideas for certified food protection managers

Attractive Online Menu Ideas for Certified Food Protection Managers

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We all know how important it is for certified food managers to have a well-defined web presence, but just increasing the chances that customers find you may not lead to an increase in business. Your online menu will ultimately influence whether or not new customers will choose to place an online order from your establishment, so let’s take a look at some online menu design ideas for certified food protection managers that will increase your chances of gaining new online customers.

Attractive Online Menu Design Ideas for Certified Food Protection Managers
Image credit: VitalikRadko via Deposit photos

How to Design an Online Menu Will Help Certified Food Protection Managers to Attract Business

Some experts have suggested that new visitors will spend less than 10 seconds to decide whether to peruse your full menu or move on to the next site. When a customer leaves your online menu that quick, not only do you lose their potential revenue for that transaction, but there’s a good chance they’ll never return. Here’s a few key ideas to keep customers on your menu page and potentially place an order:

  • Clean Visual Layouts
  • Ingredient Information
  • Organization of Menu Item

While there may be some artistic license to promote your brand with your online menu, potential customers won’t sift through a jumbled mess. CFPMs should make sure that your digital menu is laid out in a way that allows for easy viewing. Remember that your online menu will be viewed on both PC’s and smartphones, so verify your format is clean on both platforms.

More and more customers are concerned with allergens and dietary restrictions than ever before. If your menu neglects ingredient information, they may leave quickly. Diners with allergies usually don’t gamble just by item description alone, so make sure you mark items that meet certain criteria such as gluten free, kosher or paleo friendly. It’s also important that certified food protection managers note in your online menu which items may come in contact with common allergens such as nuts, dairy and seafood.

Finally, make sure your online menu is well organized. Visitors won’t want to dig for appetizers, entrees and specials. An easily navigable online menu allows guests to quickly place an order without searching for items they desire.

Does your certified food protection manager have an online menu strategy?

In-Person Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

Cancellation Of In-Person Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

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2020 has certainly presented challenges for all of us trying to run a business. It has been the same here at Safe Food Training. We have done our best to navigate through all of the changing regulations and shut downs. I truly appreciate everyone’s flexibility as we have had to continually rearrange things. We have decided to suspend classroom trainings for food protection manager certification and re-certification in December and January with COVID-19 infections at such high levels.

In-Person Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

Background On The Decision To Cancel Of Our In-Class Training For Food Protection Manager Certification

As the highest rated in-person Certified Food Protection Manager training organization in Minnesota, this decision has a dramatic impact our hospitality industry customers who are required to have this certification and are more comfortable with classroom training. It also has a serious impact on our business.

We know you have had to make similarly tough decisions as the pandemic has evolved. We all have been forced to weigh the health risks to staff and customers, legal exposure, the viability of our businesses, the livelihood of staff, and/or contributing to the further spread of this deadly virus . There are no correct answers!

After careful consideration of the current data and projections of infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19 here in Minnesota, we have decided not to hold any Food Protection Manager Certification classroom trainings in December and January.

We do have our online recertification course for those of you who need that training. Sign up for that by clicking here:

For those who are seeking initial certification, we are holding exam-only sessions at several convenient locations around the Twin Cities and central MN. You can sign up for the online certification course and exam by clicking here:

We are hoping to resume our in-person training for food protection manager certification starting February 1st and beyond. You may register for any of those options currently on safefoodtraining.com.

Thank you all for your continued business and I hope you all are finding ways to get by this year.

Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season.

Food Safety Training and Salmonella Linked to MN Juice Bar

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Last month, the Minnesota Department of Health announced they were investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to Nektar juice bar in Woodbury. At least nine people were sickened, but due to the nature of salmonella there’s a good chance that more patrons were afflicted. Symptoms of the bacteria can sometimes be either too mild to recognize as food poisoning or require medical attention. It should also be noted, that the nine customers stricken with salmonella symptoms reported ordering a variety of items including bowls, smoothies and juices. With such a variety of menu items attributed to this outbreak, the Department of Health has yet to determine the exact ingredient that spread the illness, What food safety training practices could have helped to prevent the recent salmonella outbreak?

What food safety training practices could help prevent salmonella outbreaks?
Image credit: orentodoros via pixabay

Food Safety Training and Equipment Sanitation

While we’re not familiar with the specifics of the case, we do have a possible scenario that may have led to this outbreak which sickened at least nine and hospitalized two. A gap in food safety training when it comes to sanitizing equipment may have been a factor in this outbreak.

In juice bars, the same blender or preparation surface are often used for many different purposes, so there may have been a lack in sanitation in between serving customers. If an ingredient was unknowingly compromised with salmonella bacteria and this bacteria contaminated any piece of equipment or preparation surface then it could have easily spread to other items containing different ingredients. It’s not necessarily required to sanitize every surface that comes into contact with vegetable matter if that surface is going to be used immediately for another type of fruit or vegetable, but it may be a wise precaution. The same goes for equipment such as wand blenders and mixers. If a contaminated leafy green was prepared on a cutting board which was then immediately used to chop carrots, no food safety training principle was violated, but yet salmonella could have spread to an ingredient that was not previously contaminated.

So how do food safety managers prevent these kinds of contamination? Here’s a few brief tips:

  • Sanitize all surfaces after use
  • Invest in more equipment if certain preparation tools are used frequently
  • Take the time to sanitize equipment after every order

It’s important to note that Nektar Juice Bar did do the right thing after this incident came to light. As soon as the outbreak was traced back to their location, they restocked their ingredient supply and took the time to completely sanitize their establishment. Are you prepared to prevent foodborne illness due to equipment contamination?

Food safety manager using task scheduling to maintain food safety

Food Safety Manager Secrets Using Task Scheduling When Understaffed

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Due to lower seating capacity, reduced business other COVID-19 restaurant restrictions in Minnesota, food safety managers have at times been forced to run their businesses with fewer staff members than usual. While keeping an eye on labor costs will help keep Minnesota restaurants in business during trying times, we shouldn’t sacrifice routine food safety tasks in the process. By incorporating task scheduling into administrative duties, the food safety manager can provide an efficient means of keeping up with food safety concerns while protecting the business’s labor bottom line.

Food safety manager using task scheduling to maintain food safety
Image credit: Wavebreak Media Ltd via 123rf

Task Scheduling Tips for Short Staffed Food Safety Managers

In our interactions with food safety managers, we’ve heard a few common themes as to struggles finding time for some major aspects of their food safety duties. Some of the most common concerns deal with:

  • Inventory Control
  • Receiving and Evaluating Incoming Shipments
  • Employee Training

Food managers are taking more time on the line or in the dining room to compensate for a reduced payroll, and this might cut into the amount of time they have for inventory control and receiving shipments. Creating a detailed schedule involving tasks rather than simply shifts could help alleviate the pressure on food safety managers to complete certain tasks. A clearly defined task schedule will allow you to gain a full view of what needs to be done and give you the opportunity to adjust your schedules accordingly.

A defined task schedule can be as easy as scheduling a staff member 15 to 20 minutes a day to complete food safety maintenance tasks. For example, scheduling a food safety manager to inspect date markings on prepared product to ensure they are still safe to serve will ensure the task is accomplished much easier than if you simply leave it up to chance or hope for a slow moment in service. The same goes for receiving shipments and evaluating inventory. You almost always know what days your food suppliers drop off a delivery to your establishment. Keeping that in mind, make sure that your task schedule includes an extra employee on shipment days to ensure the order can be inspected and properly stored in a timely manner.

Employee training has also become an issue with limited time and sometimes limited restaurant capacity for staff. Training tasks can be scheduled outside of normal business hours in order to be in compliance with COVID-19 occupancy and social distancing rules. A better solution would be to use online tools and apps to handle training remotely when possible.

Do you use task scheduling to improve efficiency when understaffed?