A good restaurant must pay attention to the cleanliness of the place, the food served, eating and cooking utensils, and employees. Thus, the food served is safe for consumption and free from germs and viruses that cause disease.
Rules regarding the cleanliness and sanitation of restaurants have been regulated by the government through legislation issued by the Ministry of Health. This rule must be obeyed by every culinary business actor in order to protect consumers from things that can endanger health.
In addition to requiring all rooms in restaurants to always be clean, especially kitchens and dining areas, the regulation also requires restaurants to have sanitation facilities, such as clean water facilities, toilets, hand washing facilities, trash bins, and cleaning equipment.
Criteria for a Good Restaurant
A good restaurant that meets the hygiene rules can be seen from the following criteria:
Location cleanliness
A good and clean restaurant ideally always maintains the cleanliness of the kitchen location, dining room, and the area around the restaurant. The criteria for the cleanliness of the restaurant location that need to be met include:
- Floors, kitchen areas, and cooking utensils are always cleaned with disinfectant to prevent harmful bacteria or viruses from spreading to food.
- Spilled food should be cleaned up immediately.
- Air exchange in the restaurant is good.
- The toilet and sink are always clean, unclogged, and odorless.
- Water in the kitchen or toilet flows well.
- Supplies soap, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer
- No disturbing animals, such as mice, cockroaches, termites, and flies.
- Kitchen waste is separated and immediately disposed of.
Staff cleanliness
A good restaurant must always maintain the cleanliness of the staff in it. Not only the staff working in the kitchen, but also the waiters who bring and serve the food to the guests.
All restaurant staff must wash and dry their hands before handling food. All staff are also required to wear neat and clean clothes.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, all staff in restaurants or restaurants are also required to follow health protocols by regularly washing their hands before serving food and wearing personal protective equipment, such as masks, gloves, and gloves. face shields, when preparing and serving food.
Cleanliness of food and drink
Not only delicious food, healthy and ideal restaurants must always maintain the quality of food and drinks so that they are always safe for consumption.
The following are some food and beverage hygiene criteria that must be met by every restaurant:
- Food is fully cooked to remove harmful germs and parasites present in the food.
- Kitchen staff must use separate equipment to process raw and cooked food to prevent contamination of food by harmful germs that can cause food poisoning.
- Foodstuffs are stored or refrigerated properly to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
- Water, ice and drinks served must always be clean and hygienic.
Tips for Eating at Restaurants
If you want to eat at a restaurant, always pay attention and do the following steps:
- Make sure that the restaurant has a business license from the government and has a restaurant and restaurant sanitation certificate issued by the local health office.
- Pay attention to the cleanliness of toilets, tables, floors, eating utensils, hand washing areas, and the entire dining area.
- Monitor if there are dirty animals that can carry disease, such as mice, cockroaches, or flies in the restaurant environment.
- Pay attention to how the restaurant staff prepares and prepares the food.
- Make sure the cloth used to wipe the dining table is a clean cloth.
- Make sure the food is fully cooked.
- Wash hands with clean water and soap before and after eating.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you are advised not to eat in restaurants or restaurants. To be on the safe side, buy food to take home (take away) or order food via the app on line which provides delivery services. To make costs and maintain food quality, you can also cook at home.
If you want to eat at a restaurant, choose a restaurant that implements health protocols, for example reducing the capacity of visitors, requiring guests and staff to wear masks and maintain social distance, and provide hand washing facilities or hand sanitizer.
If you experience certain health problems, such as diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting, after eating food purchased at a restaurant or restaurant, consult a doctor for treatment.
