How to Cater Safely During Covid-19

These are extraordinary times. The world is adjusting to a new definition of normal, as people slowly venture out of their houses after the ‘Lockdown’. The Covid-19 pandemic forced every industry to rethink their regular practices. As a part of the food services industry, this is an opportunity for you to make innovations as well, that will help assure your customers of a safe service.

It is important to take a holistic approach to each assignment. This means, committed caterers must organize hygiene-related training for the staff before the event, detail the logistics for the day of the event and prepare for post-event sanitization. Here’s a look at a few things for you to consider when planning for the next service:

Let's Discuss Each point In Detail

1. Maintaining Hygiene in the Kitchen

Wearing a mask at all times during any form of interaction among the staff or with the customers is mandatory. Cooks should be instructed to clean raw ingredients thoroughly, cook them at a high temperature, wash hands frequently and keep their hair covered while preparing food. The kitchen counters need to be disinfected before and after food preparation.

2. Ensuring Your Staff is Healthy

Check the temperature of your staff regularly and lookout for signs of failing health. You may need to plan your food preparation in a manner that requires a small number of people to be in the kitchen at the same time, so that social distancing norms can be maintained. Make you’re your ingredients are from hygienic and reliable sellers. Ensure paid sick leaves for your staff so that they aren’t tempted to hide their health conditions.

3. Updating Your Menu

People are likely to invite smaller numbers of guests at gatherings during the pandemic. It is important to make provisions for small scale orders with cost-effective items. Replacing dishes that need imported ingredients with ones that use local produce is a good idea. Innovative dishes made from fresh, regional ingredients may boost your customer’s confidence in your service at this time, rather than offering fancy foreign dishes to them.

4. Keeping the Ordering Process Flexible

Understand that your and your customers’ daily lives have now become more unpredictable than ever. It will help both the parties to add flexibility to the ordering process. Allowances for cancellations, certain amount of refunds, readjustment of the size of the order etc. (subject to conditions agreed upon by both parties), will help both sides feel secure.

5. Socially Distanced and “No Contact” Service

To be counted among the Best Catering Services, you must discourage self-service. Keep trained servers who prioritize hygiene, ready at every station for serving guests. Servers may also need training in handling guests and directing them to stand at safe distance from them and each other. All food should be wrapped or covered until it reaches the guests’ plates. Simple solutions like serving food on a plate placed on a stool near the food station, for the guest to pick up, can ensure ‘no-contact’ service.

6. Take the Venue into Account

You must meticulously plan the logistical details of serving food to remain competitive among the Best Caterers of Chennai. Take the size and layout of the venue into account to chalk-out the line-up of buffets, keeping social distancing regulations in mind. Be prepared to offer janitorial services. Make sure to thoroughly clean service areas before and after the event. You may need to keep disinfectants and sanitizers handy for guests.

7. Delivery and Take-Out Style Catering

If large orders seem few and far between, consider offering delivery style catering services. Make sure to offer dishes that stay fresh in transit and don’t spoil easily. Offer ‘no-contact’ deliveries. Don’t shy away from catering to small family gatherings though the delivery mechanism. It will give you useful customer feedback for adapting your service to suit new safety needs.

Pairing Good Service and Good Communication

Skilled catering staff can make all the difference when organizing an indoor event. There has to be clear communication among the staff of the Indoor Catering Services in order to maintain the standards of hygiene outlined by the FSSAI. Good communication is needed between the caterers and their customers too, so that they can co-operate in following virus avoiding regulations. With united efforts it will be possible to settle into a new way of doing things, so that we don’t have to compromise on enjoyment while following safety norms.