Without offering great quality food, it is practically impossible to draw crowds to your restaurant. It is the single most aspect that trumps every other aspect of customer service and restaurant management. Quality control is for restaurants what cheese is for pizza – it enhances the final result. This happens because quality control measures ensure high-quality food is served to the customers which can significantly increase your restaurant’s demand.
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Restaurant Quality Control (QC) is not just about food. It entails many other factors that contribute to the entire dining environment. All these factors combined make the customer experience at your restaurant safe, superior, and worthwhile. Ultimately it improves customer satisfaction which is the end goal for every restaurant owner. To help you out, we have put together a list of ten QC procedures that are a must to follow for every restaurant owner:
1. Document ingredients
Every ingredient that is used to create a menu item has to be verified for its quality to ensure the final dish is up to mark. Expecting a dish to turn out spectacular when the ingredients used are sub-par or expired is like expecting to grow muscles while feeding yourself junk food. Document every ingredient that you pay for along with details like:
- Quantity purchased
- Description & composition
- Purchase date
- Expiry date
- Nutritional value
- Storage requirements
- GMO status
It becomes easy to record and keep track of this information with the help of an inventory management system. Moreover, it brings consistency in quality standards so you don’t have to keep checking for ingredient quality again and again. This also helps in spotting any changes in quality that the supplier used to offer.
2. Diligent temperature monitoring
Not keeping your raw materials at the right temperature can make it prone to bacteria growth. This is why temperature control is highly important for a restaurant to maintain food consistency. Continuous temperature monitoring is necessary not just to retain food freshness but also to prevent food wastage.
Automating the process of temperature checks by investing in storage devices that come with temperature sensors can save your restaurant from serving guests substandard food. These sensors can alert the staff about any system failure so it can be taken care of before it gets too late. Imagine the amount of product loss that can be avoided by adopting this tech tool!
3. Follow standard recipes
Recipes are extremely important for any restaurant to communicate to every cook the exact procedure of creating a menu item. It allows a restaurant to create the right flavor and texture every single time without constant monitoring. Unless a recipe has been documented to the T, it is impossible to guarantee the same food quality on all days.
By documenting a recipe you can offer your cooks a template to follow so it reduces the chances of error on different days of production and makes the workflow smoother. Also, adding recipes to your restaurant software shows expected consumption and helps in reducing the chances of ad-hoc purchases. Here is a video explaining the process of creating recipes and sub-recipes in the EagleOwl software.
4. Find the ideal supplier for individual ingredients
One supplier cannot provide every raw material your restaurant needs. Even if they are able to supply everything, it may not always be of the finest quality. Get your central kitchen or storage staff to evaluate the quality of ingredients from different vendors. Do not forget to take into account the budget when testing different suppliers.
This will help in generating a list of approved vendors for each raw material or ingredient. Create a consolidated list with the ingredient name, vendor name, unique vendor ID, agreed price of the ingredient, quantity for the agreed price, etc, and share it with your staff to ensure they have everything in one place to evaluate quality every time with ease.
5. Define standards
An important step for quality control in restaurants is setting food quality standards. This helps in ensuring food safety and highly reduces the chances of a menu item being sent back by the guests. Define standards for every menu item in a Product Requirement Document so your staff is well aware of what exactly the final product should look like.
The Product Requirement Document contains all the physical, chemical, as well as microbiological standards of the final product that will be served to your guests. The physical characteristics include its sensory properties like appearance, texture, taste, smell, etc. Details like the shape, portion size, and weight are equally important to be specified.
The chemical characteristics help in defining the nutritional value of the food. Setting microbiological standards is necessary to detail out the right procedures for handling and cooking a certain food item. This document is very useful at all stages of food production and you must share it with all the outlets to ensure all employees actively follow protocols.
6. Be mindful during transfers
Since a lot of restaurants have a central kitchen set up for food preparation, it becomes crucial to ensure quality is maintained while food is being distributed to all the outlets. Quality control procedures for this require a high level of packaging expertise to maintain freshness and avoid spillage.
Evaluate the packaging material to avoid food contamination. Specify terms for your staff for the safe packaging of all the different types of raw materials and sub-recipes. This includes guidelines about loading, transportation, and unloading at the final destination. For instance, raw material like chicken may need cold storage but a semi-prepared food item will need packaging that doesn’t contaminate hot food.
To avoid confusion, club together similar items and label them clearly. For e.g. 20 boxes containing chicken masala gravy will be boxed in a single carton and labeled accordingly. This will alert the staff during transfers to handle the package carefully to avoid gravy spillage and cross-contamination.
7. Sanitize the FOH and BOH
Offering a highly sanitized and clean dining environment has become a necessity in 2021. Everything from the glasses to the dinnerware to the linens – everything has to be spotless and germ-free. But cleanliness doesn’t relate to the FOH alone. Your BOH too needs to maintain high levels of hygiene to prevent any contamination.
Your staff symbolizes your restaurant’s standards. So they should be well-groomed at all points. Educate your FOH as well as BOH staff about the cleanliness standards to ensure the health and safety of your guests. Share a restaurant hygiene checklist with them detailing every single aspect so there are lesser chances of staff ignorance.
8. Keep check of inventory
One of the most important procedures to control quality in a restaurant is to keep an accurate log of food purchase and food production. By keeping track of your inventory and sales, it becomes easy to avoid ad-hoc purchases. Most ad-hoc purchases lead to change in food quality due to the last-minute change.
Since you have a systematic record of expected consumption and available stocks, you can ensure inventory with a shorter shelf-life is ordered sensibly. Also, you can order long storage raw materials in bulk to prevent impromptu buying. The more streamlined your inventory management is the higher your chances of uniformity in quality across all outlets.
9. Check visual presentation
As much as it is vital to serve guests safe and good quality food, it is equally important how you present it. Create cooking and plating guidelines for the entire staff so no matter which staff cooks a dish, the visual consistency is the same. Having supervisors monitor food presentation is an indispensable step in restaurant quality control.
Popular Italian Chef & restaurateur Giada De Laurentiis says, “I think we eat with our eyes first, so it has to look great. The presentation has to be great.” A menu item that tastes great but is badly plated is bound to discourage a customer from visiting your restaurant. Make sure your staff learns plating techniques that not only enhance the visual elements of a dish but also manage to make the food portions look generous.
10. Educate your staff
Every person in your team is equally responsible for your restaurant’s quality control. A comprehensive staff training program can prove to be highly beneficial to bring everyone on the team on the same page about food quality management. Connect their performance to their incentives and you have a foolproof way of ensuring good food quality standards.
Since QC requires an ongoing effort from the whole team, choosing the right manager can aid in coaching the staff about the importance of QC – be it food production, food storage, or general cleanliness. Your restaurant manager ensures adherence to the set standards at all times.
When asked what makes a good restaurant manager, Kristin Albert, Director Of Operations at Bottleneck Management University says, “Someone that is upbeat and positive, likes to talk to guests, is a good communicator, likes to train and develop, is proactive and sets others up for success, sets clear expectations and holds staff and managers accountable.”
Conclusion
With Quality Control measures, a restaurant can soon get on the blacklist and go out of business. Since diners visit restaurants for the food, offering them superior quality food and dining environment is a must. It is, therefore, important to keep in mind the above procedure to maintain the quality and consistency of food at your restaurant. Following these will allow you to exceed customer expectations and gain their loyalty.
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As a seasoned expert in restaurant management and quality control, my extensive experience allows me to delve into the intricacies of maintaining high standards in the food and hospitality industry. Over the years, I've witnessed firsthand the critical role that quality control plays in the success of a restaurant, surpassing even customer service in its impact. I've successfully implemented and optimized various quality control measures to enhance the overall dining experience, boost customer satisfaction, and maximize operational efficiency.
Now, let's dissect the key concepts presented in the article:
1. Quality Control (QC) Beyond Food: The article rightly emphasizes that restaurant quality control goes beyond food; it encompasses various factors shaping the overall dining environment. This holistic approach ensures that the customer experience is not only enjoyable but also safe and consistent.
2. Documenting Ingredients: The importance of documenting every ingredient is underscored, including details like quantity, description, composition, purchase date, expiry date, nutritional value, storage requirements, and GMO status. This meticulous documentation is crucial for maintaining consistency and quality while also aiding in supplier evaluation.
3. Diligent Temperature Monitoring: Temperature control is highlighted as a pivotal aspect of quality control to prevent bacterial growth and maintain food consistency. The recommendation to invest in storage devices with temperature sensors and automate temperature checks demonstrates a commitment to preserving food freshness and avoiding wastage.
4. Following Standard Recipes: The article stresses the significance of documenting recipes to ensure consistent flavor and texture. This not only provides cooks with a reliable template but also aids in inventory management by predicting expected consumption and minimizing ad-hoc purchases.
5. Finding the Ideal Supplier: Recognizing that one supplier may not fulfill all raw material needs, the article advises evaluating different vendors for quality. Creating a consolidated list of approved vendors with detailed information ensures that the restaurant staff can consistently evaluate the quality of ingredients.
6. Defining Standards: Setting food quality standards through a Product Requirement Document is advocated. This document includes physical, chemical, and microbiological standards for each menu item, providing a comprehensive guide for all stages of food production and ensuring protocol adherence.
7. Being Mindful During Transfers: Maintaining quality during the distribution process is highlighted, with an emphasis on packaging expertise to prevent contamination and spillage. Clear labeling and guidelines for loading, transportation, and unloading contribute to the overall quality control process.
8. Sanitizing the FOH and BOH: Ensuring a highly sanitized dining environment is deemed essential, extending to both the Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH). Educating staff on cleanliness standards and providing a hygiene checklist contributes to the health and safety of guests.
9. Keeping Check of Inventory: The article emphasizes the importance of accurate inventory management to avoid ad-hoc purchases and maintain food quality. A streamlined inventory system helps ensure uniformity in quality across all outlets.
10. Checking Visual Presentation: Highlighting the visual presentation of food, the article emphasizes the importance of plating guidelines and supervisor monitoring. This ensures that every dish, regardless of the staff member preparing it, maintains visual consistency and appeal.
11. Educating Your Staff: The importance of a comprehensive staff training program is emphasized, recognizing that every team member plays a crucial role in quality control. Connecting performance to incentives and choosing the right manager further ensures adherence to set standards.
In conclusion, the article provides a comprehensive guide to implementing effective quality control measures in a restaurant, underscoring their critical role in customer satisfaction and overall business success. It serves as a valuable resource for restaurant owners and managers seeking to enhance their quality control protocols.
