The COVID-19 pandemic reminded restaurant owners and managers of the importance of proper sanitation - whether they’re running a food truck or a fine dining restaurant. So perhaps it’s a good idea to continue some of those additional precautions even as the mandates are lifted.

The fact is - COVID or no COVID – every restaurant should be kept clean for the safety of the business and its customers and employees. Dirty restaurants can lead to food-borne illnesses, making customers sick, which can lead to lawsuits, damaged reputations, and higher Restaurant Insurance costs.

Here is information to help ensure that your restaurant is adequately cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected to help prevent cross-contamination of food and the spread of germs and viruses.

Cleaning vs. Sanitizing vs. Disinfecting

Cleaning is removing visible debris and deposits – such as dirt and spills - on the surface using a vacuum, duster, degreaser, soap, or detergent. Cleaning does not eliminate germs.

After a surface is cleaned, sanitizing helps eliminate many microorganisms and reduce the growth of bacteria. Any surface that comes in contact with food – such as cutting boards, countertops, serving utensils, pots, pans, etc. - should be regularly sanitized. They should be sanitized whenever you’re switching to a different type of food or ingredient, when you’re done with one food prep task, or every four hours. Sanitizing kills 99.9% of bacteria.

Surfaces that are frequently touched – such as light switches, door handles, phones, cash registers, bathrooms, etc.– should be regularly disinfected using bleach or other disinfectant. You should disinfect at least once a day, but more frequently during cold and flu season or a virus outbreak. A disinfectant kills 99.999% of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

How to Sanitize Food Prep Surfaces

WebstaurantStore suggests the following process:

• Wipe the surface of any visible debris.
• Rinse the surface with soap and clean water.
• Sanitize the surface with a food-safe sanitizer, following the manufacturer’s directions.
• Allow the surface to air dry for at least 30 seconds.
  
  

How to Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces

WebstaurantStore suggests the following process:

• Wipe the surface of any visible debris.
• Rinse the surface with soap and clean water.
• Follow the directions on the disinfecting product you’re using, including how long to keep it on the surface and whether or not to rinse it off.

Restaurant Cleaning Checklist

A restaurant cleaning checklist can help ensure that all employees know what is expected and that cleaning tasks aren’t overlooked. The checklist should include both the kitchen and dining areas and have daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.

Prevent food poisoning

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these four steps to avoid cross-contamination and food poisoning:

• Clean (your hands, surfaces, fruits and vegetables, etc.)
• Separate (cutting boards, food, etc.)
• Cook to the right temperature
• Chill – refrigerate promptly

CDC COVID-19 Guidelines Worth Continuing:

• Urge employees to stay home if they don’t feel well.
• Require employees to wash their hands frequently - particularly before, during, and after preparing food or after touching garbage. Employees should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Have enough supplies – soap, towels, no-touch trash cans, etc. – to support healthy hygiene.
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles, phones, cash registers, bathrooms, tables, chairs, etc.
• Use touchless payment options.
• Post signs and posters to promote healthy hygiene habits among the staff.

Save Even More on Restaurant Insurance!

The independent agents at American Insuring Group will compare competing restaurant insurance carriers to get you the right insurance coverage at the lowest price. So, give us a call today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.

The EOC looks at nearly 90,000 Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) claims every year, and the average cost of each case is $450,000.

If you own a restaurant, you’ve probably worked hard to build strong relationships with your staff and create an environment conducive to teamwork. If you’re lucky, you’ve found the magical formula that balances friendliness with professionalism, and you’re proudly watching as your well-oiled team creates and delivers delicious food to your customers. You and your staff may even feel like a big happy family.

But even happy families disagree and face irreconcilable differences. It happens all the time. Sometimes they can work through it, and sometimes they can’t. The same is true for employees.

Employment Issues Are 30% of Civil Litigations

The Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) reports that employment issues make up 30% of all civil litigations in the U.S., which makes the likelihood of an employment claim against an employer higher than a property or general liability claim. And employment practices liability risks can begin the moment you interview someone.

Employment litigation claims can have a severe financial impact on a restaurant, even forcing them out of business if they do not have adequate insurance.  According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 67% of all employment cases that go to litigation result in a judgment for the plaintiff.

Larger companies tend to protect themselves against employment claims with employee policies and procedures and EPLI, but many small restaurant owners do not, and 41% of all EPLI claims are made against employers with only 15 to 100 employees.

Common EPLI Issues For Restaurants

Common issues for which a good EPLI policy can help protect your restaurant include:

• Sexual harassment
• Discrimination in hiring practices
• Wrongful termination
• Defamation of character
• Emotional distress
• Invasion of privacy
• Failure to promote

How to Protect Your Restaurant From Employment Practices Liability Risk

• Research employment laws that apply to your business.
• Create an employee handbook with detailed policies and procedures that guide you through hiring, disciplining, and terminating employees. Include policies and procedures regarding attendance, discipline, and complaints; an employment-at-will statement and an equal employment opportunity statement.
• Create job descriptions for each position that clearly defines the skills and performance expected from someone hired for that position.
• Include an equal employment opportunity statement and an employee-at-will statement on your job
• Conduct background checks on candidates.
• Conduct and document periodic performance reviews of all employees.
• Create a zero-tolerance policy regarding discrimination, substance abuse, and harassment.
• Conduct an insurance review with your insurance agent to ensure that you have adequate EPLI

What You Should Know About Employment Practices Liability Insurance

The cost of EPLI coverage is determined by factors such as the number of employees you have, the percentage of employee turnover, and if you have established practices and procedures in place. EPLI may be offered as an endorsement to your Business Owner’s Policy, General Liability Policy, or as a stand-alone policy. It usually covers the cost of defending your restaurant against the charges and any damages you are ordered to pay.

Contact Us for a Free Insurance Review

Don't take chances with your restaurant business - you've worked too hard to get to where you are today. Be sure you are properly covered for every liability.

For a FREE REVIEW of your liability insurance, contact American Insuring Group online or call us (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848.

Having the right type of restaurant insurance coverage is key to protecting your business in the event of a food recall. That's because food recalls have become a major concern for restaurant owners and others in the food businesses in recent years.

The number of recalls has nearly doubled since 2002, costing many of these affected businesses more than $10 million for each incident, with some going as high as $100 million. Most of that money is spent on product disposal costs, business interruptions, and customer reimbursements. And those figures do not include the reputational damage that lowers profits for food producers.

A 2013 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that nearly nine million people were sickened by contaminated food that year, costing the U.S. public health system a stunning $15 billion in hospitalization costs and lost wages.

Food recalls are triggered for several reasons, nearly half of which are for microbiological contamination. Another 25% come from incorrect or missing labelling. Defective packaging, physical and chemical contamination, and unapproved ingredients round out the list. 

Food Product Recalls and Restaurants

As a restaurant owner, it’s imperative that you keep on top of all food recall information – from both the FDA and the USDA. You can do that by regularly checking www.foodsafety.gov. You can also get recall information sent right to your email inbox or by uploading an app.

If you discover that there is a recall on a product that you serve, check to see if the items you have in stock are part of that recall. Then, find out the reason for the recall. As we mentioned, food can be recalled for everything from microbiological contamination to inaccurate ingredient labeling. If you do have recalled product, identify and separate those products. Finally, contact the manufacturer to determine whether to return or throw away the recalled product and to ask for a refund.

Contaminated foods can have a devastating effect on a food manufacturer or restaurant’s reputation. Also, consumers who have been poisoned by contaminated food can file claims for financial compensation. All of this points to restaurant insurance as a means of mitigating the financial impact of a recall. There are several possible solutions:

Product Liability Insurance provides compensation of justified third-party claims and defense costs for injury caused by a contaminated food product.

Product Recall Insurance reimburses expenses for the recall of any food product that was accidentally contaminated or labelled incorrectly and resulted in sickness, disease or death. It covers the company’s expenses related to the recall such as notification, testing, disposal, product replacement, and reimbursement of the purchase price.

Contaminated Product Insurance pays expenses that are associated with accidental contamination, malicious contamination, or product extortion demands. Specific losses that are covered include recall expenses, pre-incident consulting, post-incident crisis management, third-party expenses, loss of gross profit, and rehabilitation expenses.

Get the Right Restaurant Insurance for Your Peace of Mind 

Each of these types of insurance addresses a specific need. Click here to contact us or give us a call at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848 to find the right insurance solution for your company based on your risk exposure and the level of protection that you need.