A restaurant businesses success is in its food. Success depends on the food quality, the creation of the menu, and also on the source of the food. Even a single incident in a restaurant with an otherwise good reputation of poor quality food or something foreign found in it can have disastrous effects. Restaurant owners need to focus on the following food quality aspects.
Source of the food
Locally sourced and fresh food ingredients are the trend right now. Consumers seem to be more willing to support a local restaurant that also supports other small businesses. Even larger restaurant chains are expected to choose high quality food suppliers. People want to know where their food is coming from and if you can share it with them proudly, they are more likely to become a loyal customer of your business.
Each year roughly 1 out of 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases. Locally sourced food suppliers are less likely to supply food products that harm people. Even large name retailers that suffer from a food source recall suffer significantly. A small business can eventually be shut down from the bad reputation. Locally sourced foods also help with storage needs. While vertical form fill seal machines help to keep air out, they only do so for a short period of time.
Quality of the food
Not only is the source of the food important, but so is the quality of the food. Most food suppliers have numerous options available, all at different price points. It might be tempting to go with the cheapest price point to attract a higher profit margin, but this can result in a lower customer reputation. It is important to evaluate your customer needs, food costs, and the type of restaurant demographic that you are going after. If you want to reach the budget restaurant goer, consumers will accept that it is not the same quality as a fine dining restaurant.
Packaging of the product
The packaging of the product is another important aspect. You could have the highest quality of food and use only locally sourced items, but if you do not have a quality packager, your foods could come off as being low quality. The restaurant industry has a variety of food packaging products including vertical form fill seal machines and sealed packaging products. The exact packaging distributor that you use will likely depend on the type of food and how it is served.
Sit down restaurants simply need packaging to get the food safely from the supplier to the restaurant. Food items that are shipped, however, need to be in a secure package that is also airtight. Vertical form fill seal machines can airtight products. Food inspection systems are often a part of the packaging process. Many restaurants also choose to have an in house packaging inspection to randomly inspect items and make any changes as needed. Vacuum sealers tend to preserve food three to five times longer than food stored in just plastic bags or containers, making them a popular storage item in the restaurant industry.
Proper in house storage
Another important piece of the food process is the restaurant’s storage process. Food can be sourced, shipped, and packaged in the best products possible, but still, be ruined if it is not properly stored. Cold temperatures keep harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Refrigerators should be set to no higher than 40 degree F and freezers set at 0 degree F. Local food inspectors will often inspect this and issue citations when food items are not stored properly.
There are a lot of steps involved with the food process in a typical restaurant. Restaurant owners need to focus on quality of food, source of food, packaging of ingredients, and the storage of the items in the actual restaurant. Machines like vertical form fill seal machines can keep food items well secured and at the proper temperature.