The New World of Hospitality Hygiene

THE NEW WORLD OF HOSPITALITY HYGIENE How the industry is pivoting to keep staff and customers safe

by Rachel Debling

It’s no exaggeration to say that a sector acutely and detrimentally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is the restaurant, tourism, and hospitality industry. Many foodservice locations across Canada were forced to shut their doors in March, or at best had to pivot to a takeout- and delivery-only model, leaving many out of work and business owners wondering whether they would survive the storm.

Canadians under lockdown were also left pining for the dining experiences they had so enjoyed and wholeheartedly supported only a few months before. And as these businesses begin to reopen their patios and dining rooms to a new and admittedly strange industry landscape, only one thing is certain: proper and thorough cleaning and disinfection will be the number-one concern of owners, kitchen staff, servers — and, perhaps most importantly, guests.

MORE THAN JUST A “CLEAN LOOK”

Maintaining a clean, virus-free facility postpandemic is as much a safety measure as it is an optics and branding opportunity. Because of this, Jody Palubiski, CEO of Charcoal Group, the parent company of Beertown Public House and Charcoal Steak House, notes that while cleanliness has always been next to godliness in the company’s locations, COVID-19 has increased his team’s emphasis on structured sanitation protocols. As he notes, “Our guests are watching and wanting to know what we are doing to keep us all safe.”

Some of the biggest changes can be seen in the products the company sources for its cleaning needs. The cleaning agent once used on tables, chairs, and high-touch surfaces has been replaced by another product from supplier Diversey: Oxivir, an antiviral and antibacterial product used in medical settings. Table cleaning protocols have also been modernized and updated with a threestep colour-coded process in which different cloths are provided to staff for wiping table surfaces (blue) and for wiping chairs, benches, and ledges (red). Front of house, single-use items are provided to guests or, when not applicable, rotable serveware items are thoroughly sanitized between uses.

The Charcoal Group also has a sense of humour about the surreal situation. Music lists have been curated so every 30 minutes a cleaning-themed song, such as “Can’t Touch This” or “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” is played, reminding staff to sanitize all surfaces and shared equipment.

“It works really well, but after the first month back, with the same two songs repeating throughout the day, it made us a bit batty,” Palubiski admits. “So we will switch the tunes up once a month and are taking suggestions from the team on what songs are fitting to cue us to clean.”

THE NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Fast-casual establishments have also felt the pressure to radically change their approach to hygiene, as evidenced by the experience of Paramount Fine Foods. In the wake of COVID-19, the company opted for a new multi-surface cleaner from Ecolab that has shown efficacy in the fight against coronavirus, and management ensured staff was using it correctly as per the product directions. Designated team members at each location were also tapped to ensure adherence to the new protocols. “We knew how crucial this was to keep everyone entering our restaurants safe,” a company spokesperson noted. Takeout packages are also sanitized and given a tamper-proof seal before they leave the restaurant.

Prior to COVID-19, Paramount regularly conducted health and safety inspections through third-party auditing company Noraxx, a practice that has continued into the pandemic and will continue beyond its borders. Other non-cleaning safety measures include touchless temperature checks on all team members at the start of shifts,

TO SAFELY WELCOME BACK ITS GUESTS, ST. LOUIS BAR & GRILL HAS IMPLEMENTED A NEW ROLE IN ITS LOCATIONS, CHIEF SANITATION OFFICER.

the installation of plexiglass screens around POS stations, and the shift to a credit- and debit-only payment model to further prevent contamination.

“OVERNIGHT” SUCCESS

Of course, the hospitality industry isn’t just the domain of restaurants — hotels across the country have had to shift gears to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, too. Lea Ledohowski, president of Canad Inns, notes a number of new care practices have been implemented throughout the company’s facilities, both in the suites and in the inhouse restaurants. Notably, staff has undergone additional training in sanitation and infectious disease control, and enhanced cleaning and disinfection of all touchpoints, plus the regular sanitization of foodservice equipment, has been put into play.

“In addition to these, we also monitor and communicate the observance of all advisories as set forth by public health authorities and government agencies as we continue to prioritize the health and safety of anyone entering our facilities,” Ledohowski says.

Other lodging companies are taking similar efforts. In June, Hilton launched a new program at its properties called “Hilton CleanStay” through which they collaborated with Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the maker of Lysol and Dettol, and consulted with the Mayo Clinic to develop elevated processes and team member training.

Suppliers are also working hard to ensure their customers are using their products correctly and effectively. Elizabeth Graven, lodging assistant marketing manager at Ecolab, agrees that knowledge is power. “During this time, following proper disinfection procedures is critical to mitigate infection risk in your facilities,” she says. “Ecolab recommends that facility owners make sure employees know how to properly use disinfectants, how often surfaces should be disinfected, and which surfaces should be of focus. Other recommendations include checking cleaning frequency charts, clearly communicating employee illness policy, promoting proper hygiene and social distancing protocols, conducting refresher training with staff, and auditing the work of employees or shadowing their team.”

Like many other suppliers, Ecolab supports its customers by providing comprehensive resuming-operations procedures, employee training guides, and checklists to help ensure facilities are ready to reopen, safely. The company also recently partnered with Airbnb on its new five-step cleaning standard, which was created with the guidance of Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General of the United States.

REDUCING POINTS OF CONTACT

Empowering team members to take charge of the disinfection process is a step many restaurants are implementing through internal programs across all locations. St. Louis Bar & Grill is one such example, with the introduction of a new role, Chief Sanitation Officer. This rotating position, which changes hands each shift, is the person responsible for all disinfecting and cleaning, ensuring servers only touch clean, sanitized plates. They are also responsible for cleaning tables as well as regularly sanitizing touchpoints such as door handles and countertops.

Scheduling is also important. The disinfectant St. Louis has selected for its cleaning needs requires 10 minutes of contact time to be effective, so guests must wait for a short interval prior to being seated to ensure their table is virus-free. Patience will at times be required of diners, but that’s something CEO Brent Poulton believes his customers will be understanding about, in exchange for the experience they crave.

“That’s one of the most difficult things throughout [the pandemic] — you are managing reality, but you are also managing perception,” he explains. And despite some naysayers, he remains optimistic about the future of the industry.

“It really doesn’t matter how many Amazon boxes or restaurant meals you can order to your front door, people are not built to be cooped up,” Poulton says. “We are social animals. We crave socialization, we crave personal interaction and that sense of routine... We are creatures of habit.”

With the help of the dedicated cleaning staff and in-house employees on the frontlines of the fight against coronavirus, the hospitality industry will eventually return to some form of normalcy — albeit one that’s a little more sterile than what diners had previously been used to. /