Everything but the Kitchen Sink

By Francine L. Shaw |  Published May 1, 2018, on FESMag.com

Foodservice professionals work long, arduous days in the kitchen. While it’s important that their environment is attractive, it’s even more critical that it’s safe and efficient. Never choose a gorgeous kitchen design at the expense of safety and efficiency. Commercial kitchens must utilize sturdy, easy-to-clean materials, have a layout that minimizes cross-contamination risks and include designated equipment and prep areas for guests with food allergies.

I recently met a restaurant owner that invested significant money redesigning his restaurant without considering safety issues. His new kitchen didn’t meet codes. Unfortunately, he had to demolish the kitchen and rebuild. This was an additional, and significant, expense. It also delayed the restaurant’s reopening by several months.
Smart Choices

I love high-gloss marble and porcelain floor tile. It’s beautiful, but it’s a potential disaster in a commercial kitchen. Don’t choose materials that are dangerous, such as slippery floor tile, or anything that is hard to keep clean, might chip or break easily, or won’t withstand heavy use. Chips, cracks, and breaks in tile or other materials lead to bacteria growth and health code violations. Use easy-to-clean stainless steel backsplashes behind high-heat appliances, anti-microbial countertop materials, nonslip flooring materials, fiberglass reinforced panels for walls, and safe lighting, which means without exposed lightbulbs.

It’s thrilling to pick out new equipment for a restaurant, but keep in mind who will be operating it. Be certain your kitchen staff has the appropriate skills to manage the equipment. If the kitchen staff can’t operate the equipment appropriately and safely, it’s useless — and dangerous.

Refrigeration equipment is incredibly important. Decide on the appropriate amount of space for the anticipated volume, then add extra space in case the restaurant exceeds expectations. There was a time when I managed a restaurant that we had to erect a custom-built unit in the parking lot for additional dry storage and a walk-in cooler because sales were double the original projection. While I was thrilled with the sales, the stock rotation and inventory were a nightmare.

You’ve heard the phrase “Everything but the kitchen sink.” While on a consultation project, I visited a new build where they actually forgot the kitchen sink. Of course, it’s much easier to include a sink — or any equipment — during the design phase than it is to add it later. They ended up installing a sink right beside the dough mixer, which was a horrible — and unsafe — location. Sinks shouldn’t be next to equipment like that dough mixer, where dirty dishwater could contaminate the food. Instead, locate dishwashing areas near the kitchen entrance to streamline dropping off dirty dishes.

Holding areas for hot and cold food items that are ready for serving are incredibly important and frequently miscalculated. This can cause backups in the kitchen, or worse, prevent food from being held at the proper temperature, which could cause a foodborne illness outbreak.

It’s critical to consider function, efficiency, and safety when designing commercial kitchens to maximize guests’ health and reduce — or even better, eliminate — risks.

The Importance of Kitchen Design for Proper Food Safety Protocol

By Francine L. Shaw

Many of us enter a kitchen without thinking about the design, as far as food safety is concerned. I visited a facility that was 95% finished before anyone realized that a three-bay sink–critical to proper sanitation of dishes and other equipment–hadn’t been part of the design plan. This facility had limited space, so it wasn’t possible to bump out a wall or expand the space. The sink had to be installed somewhere. The builders ended up placing it right beside a floor mixer, with the wash sink on the mixer end! They were literally inches apart, giving ample opportunity for dirty dishwater to splash into the dough mixer and contaminate the food. The restaurant team agreed not to wash dishes at the same time they were utilizing the mixer, which was inefficient and problematic in their day-to-day activities. The designer/architect should have done a plan review and consulted a food safety expert before beginning construction. By doing so, they would have potentially eliminated this problem.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), contaminated utensils and equipment are a top risk factor for foodborne illness outbreaks. If equipment is difficult to clean, it’s more likely not to be cleaned properly (if at all). For instance, meat slicers and soft-serve ice cream machines are often difficult to clean, and some brands are better than others. There are soft serve machines that have hundreds of pieces that need to be washed, rinsed and sanitized regularly, which means your staff must be willing to commit several hours of labor to this task.

Meat slicers on the surface may look nice and shiny but look a little closer, behind the blade. Take off the piece that holds the sharpening stone, look in the crevices and around the dial. It is beyond gross and disgusting. Meats are, of course, perishable foods that easily breed many forms of bacteria and other microorganisms. Small pieces of meat or other sliced foods usually get caught in and collect between the blade and the slicing machine of a meat slicer. If left for a period of time, microorganisms will grow in and around the meat particles, posing a health risk for the foods sliced 

on the unclean machine.

Moldy gaskets in a cooler.

Additionally, I’ve seen gaskets around refrigeration unit doors that were growing mold and other bacteria, making it unsanitary and potentially harmful to store foods inside. They now make refrigeration units with a different type of seal (and no gaskets) that’s much easier to clean and maintain.

Cross-contamination and cross-contact are important factors to consider when designing a restaurant. One design flaw could have life-threatening ramifications.

When planning, designing and building a restaurant kitchen:

Plan the flow. The flow of your prep area should make sense for efficiency, as well as food safety. This will save time, money and reduce risk. For instance, when your servers take food to your guests, they should never have to walk through the dirty dish area, which increases the food safety risk.

Ensure that hot water tanks hold a sufficient amount of hot water. If they don’t hold enough hot water to get you through your busiest rush period of washing and sanitizing dishes, you either need to get a booster or a larger hot water tank.

Purchase equipment that’s easy to clean, with minimal nooks and crannies.

Consider even the smallest details–like the amount of tile grout you use. The less tile grout, the less risk for chipping. Chipping–and cracks or holes in walls and floors–equal bacteria growth. Your best bet is to use a non-porous material that doesn’t allow bacteria to grow.

Ensure that your floors have drains so they can be deep cleaned regularly.

Make certain that areas that are impossible to reach for cleaning are sealed tightly. It is impossible for anyone to clean a quarter-inch gap between a wall and a counter space that the contractor neglected to close. This will eventually become an insect or rodent haven, which is obviously a food safety hazard.

Consider the placement of your sinks. Kitchen sinks must never be in an area where there is potential for contaminated water to splash on consumables, clean dishes or anything else it could contaminate. 

In tight areas, a barrier may need to be installed between the sink and a prep area.
Install multiple sinks for washing dishes, produce, poultry, hands, etc.

Designate certain equipment and prep space for allergen-free/gluten-free cooking to safely accommodate your guests with food allergies and intolerances.

Purchase or make your own allergy kits, complete with color-coded chopping boards and pans and utensils, which are kept clean, covered and stored away from flours and other potential allergens. 

Purple is widely used and recognized to designate allergy-friendly equipment. Designate an allergy-friendly fryer, which isn’t used for any common allergens, including breaded products, fish or shellfish, or foods containing nuts.

Wash and sanitize allergy equipment (and surfaces) between each use.

Design separate storage space for common food allergens (flours, nuts, etc.) to avoid cross-contact with allergy-friendly foods.

Design space in your food allergy area to hold different-shaped or different-colored plates, and use these dishes to serve allergy-friendly meals.

Ensure that your ventilation systems don’t spread flour dust, nut particles or other allergens throughout the facility, which could contaminate virtually everything. Also, once your kitchen opens, be sure that all flours, nuts and other common allergens remain covered to prevent cross-contact.

The seemingly minor details in a kitchen (grout, moldings, etc.) are truly a big deal in terms of keeping guests safer. And bigger issues–such as placement of a three-compartment sink–must be carefully considered at the start of a design project. While it’s critical to have a competent design and construction team for your project, don’t overlook the importance of having a food safety expert consult on the project from concept to implementation.

Food safety experts bring a valuable perspective to the table and can advise on all matters from big (how kitchen design impacts food safety and reduces foodborne illness risks) to small (the easiest gaskets to clean and keep sanitary). By working collaboratively, your design, construction, and food safety expert can maximize your future successes and minimize food safety risks.

Food safety experts can help design kitchens to reduce risks

No matter how much time and care a chef takes preparing a meal, no matter how beautiful it looks on the plate, one splash of one drop of dirty dish water can turn the delectable into the deadly.

BY FRANCINE L. SHAW | JUNE 28, 2017
Contributed to Food Safety News

When designing a commercial kitchen, many people consider how the space will look, when they should be primarily concerned with how it will function. The design should maximize efficiency and productivity, but it also must promote proper food safety protocols.

Cross-contamination and cross-contact are important factors to consider. Recognize that one design flaw could have life-threatening ramifications. For instance, in restaurant settings, when servers take food to guests, they should never have to walk through the dirty dish area, which increases the contamination risk. Also give careful thought to the placement of your three-compartment sink, to be sure it’s separate from food prep areas.Food service professionals should work closely with their designer and construction team, and it’s wise to also collaborate with a food safety expert, who can advise on how the workspace layout can boost food safety practices. Many of the same considerations are appropriate for those designing and refinishing home kitchens.

Think of food safety when planning the space — such as ensuring that floor mixers aren’t placed near wash sinks where dirty water could splash in and contaminate the food. It’s also critical to plan the “smaller details” that could impact food safety — such as not leaving any gaps between counters and walls that could attract grime, insects or rodents, and being certain that you use grout that can be properly cleaned and sanitized.

When planning, designing and building a commercial kitchen:

• Plan the flow. The flow of your prep area should make sense for efficiency, as well as food safety. This will save time, money and reduce risk.

• Purchase equipment that’s easy to clean, with minimal nooks and crannies. This is important for all equipment that you use in your kitchen, including mixers, fryers, ice cream machines and meat slicers.

• Consider even the smallest details — like the amount of tile grout used. The less tile grout, the less risk for chipping. Chipping — and cracks or holes in walls and floors — result in bacteria growth. Always use a non-porous grout material that doesn’t allow bacteria to grow.

• Ensure that your floors have drains so they can be deep cleaned regularly.

• Ensure that your hot water tanks hold a sufficient amount of hot water. If they don’t hold enough hot water to get you through your busiest rush period of washing and sanitizing dishes, you either need to get a booster or a larger hot water tank. Hot water is critical to proper washing and sanitizing dishes, equipment, and hands.

• Consider the placement of your sinks. Kitchen sinks must never be in an area where there’s potential for contaminated water to splash on consumables, clean dishes, or anything else it could contaminate. In tight areas, a barrier may need to be installed between the sink and a prep area.

• Install multiple sinks for washing dishes, produce, poultry, hands, etc.

• Designate separate equipment and prep space for allergen-free/gluten-free cooking to safely accommodate your guests with food allergies and intolerances.

• Designate allergy-friendly equipment, such as fryers, that are not used for any common allergens, including breaded products, fish or shellfish, or foods containing nuts.

• Use different shaped or different colored plates to serve allergy-friendly meals.

• Purchase or make your own allergy kits, complete with color-coded chopping boards and pans and utensils, which are kept clean, covered and stored away from flours and other potential allergens. Purple is widely used and recognized to designate allergy-friendly equipment.

• Wash and sanitize allergy equipment and surfaces between each use.

• Make certain areas that are impossible to reach for cleaning are sealed tightly. It is impossible for anyone to clean a quarter-inch gap between a wall and a counter space that the contractor neglected to close. This will eventually become an insect or rodent haven, which is obviously a food safety hazard.

• Design separate storage space for common food allergens such as flours, nuts, etc., to avoid cross-contact with other foods.

Color-coded cutting boards help ensure that fresh produce is not cross-contaminated with pathogens from raw meat, fish or poultry. To increase compliance with such food safety policies and procedures employers must provide continuing education and training for food handlers.

The seemingly minor details in a kitchen — such as the kind of grout used — are truly a big deal in terms of keeping guests safer. And bigger issues — such as placement of a three-compartment sink — must be carefully considered at the start of a design project.

While it’s critical, of course, to have a competent design and construction team for your project, don’t overlook the importance of having a food safety expert consult on the project, from concept to implementation. Food safety experts bring a valuable perspective to the table and can advise on all matters from how kitchen design impacts reduce foodborne illness risks and which ice machines are easiest to clean and keep sanitary. By working collaboratively, your design, construction, and food safety expert can maximize your future successes and minimize food safety risks.

15 Ways to Build a Safer Kitchen

Paying attention to kitchen design can prevent dangerous and costly food safety issues.

CROSS-CONTACT AND CROSS-CONTAMINATION RISKS AFFECT MORE PARTS OF YOUR KITCHEN THAN YOU MIGHT REALIZE.

by Francine L. Shaw

Designing full-service kitchens is becoming more complicated than ever. It’s important to consider appearance, functionality, and employee and food safety—it takes an army to accomplish this. From start to finish, kitchen design is a collaboration of architects, engineers, designers, food and beverage design firms, chefs, owner, operators, and food safety consultants.
From design concept until opening day, many ideas are considered, and each player brings their own point-of-view to the project. When I look at a kitchen design, for instance, my focus is on potential cross-contamination and cross-contact situations. I also assess whether equipment and building materials may be too difficult to clean, which could lead to higher risk of foodborne illness. A designer may look at that same kitchen and realize that the size isn’t right or the configuration is wrong. Something as simple as choosing the wrong floor tile can mean a higher number of employee injuries, and installing too few hand sinks means that the kitchen won’t meet health department regulations. These are issues you don’t want to face during your final inspection or after the restaurant is up and running. Hiring a knowledgeable, experienced team to design and install your commercial kitchen is important regardless of what size kitchen you are creating.

Commercial kitchens have become much more diverse than they used to be, and with that comes more chaos and risk. Chefs and their teams have to be concerned about issues that once weren’t as prevalent, such as food allergies. It’s estimated that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies, including 1 in every 13 children under the age of 18, and this number is growing. Severe allergies are responsible for more than 200,000 emergency room visits per year, according to the CDC, and food allergies can be fatal. An estimated 1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease, and another 1 million have gluten sensitivities, according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

In addition to food allergies and food intolerances, foodborne illnesses are always a concern in restaurants. The CDC estimates that each year, roughly 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die—that’s 1 in 6 Americans. Kitchen design can play an important part in increasing or decreasing your level of risk.
Here are some ways you can plan, design, and build a safer kitchen:

1) Plan the flow. The flow of your prep area should make sense for efficiency, as well as food safety. This will save time, money, and reduce risk. For instance, when your servers take food to your guests, they should never have to walk through the dirty dish area, which increases food safety risks.

2)  Ensure that your hot water tanks hold a sufficient amount of hot water. If they don’t hold enough to get you through your busiest rush period of washing and sanitizing dishes, you either need to get a booster or a larger hot water tank.

3) Purchase equipment that’s easy to clean, with minimal nooks and crannies.

4) Consider even the smallest details, like the amount of tile grout you use. The less tile grout, the lower the risk of chipping. Chipping and cracks or holes in walls and floors equal bacteria growth. Your best bet is to use a non-porous material that doesn’t allow bacteria to grow.

5) Ensure that your floors have drains so they can be deep cleaned regularly.

6) Make certain areas that are impossible to reach for cleaning are sealed tightly. It is impossible for anyone to clean a ¼-inch gap between a wall and a counter space that the contractor neglected to close. This will eventually become an insect or rodent haven, which is obviously a food safety hazard.

 

7) Consider the placement of your sinks. Kitchen sinks must never be in an area where there’s potential for contaminated water to splash on consumables, clean dishes, or anything else that needs to remain clean. In tight areas, a barrier may need to be installed between the sink and a prep area.

8) Install multiple sinks for washing dishes, produce, poultry, hand washing, and so on.

9) Designate certain equipment and prep space for allergen-free and gluten- free cooking to safely accommodate your guests with food allergies and intolerances.

10) Purchase or make your own allergy kits, complete with color-coded chopping boards and pans and utensils, which are kept clean, covered, and stored away from flours and other potential allergens. Purple is widely used and recognized to designate allergy-friendly equipment.

11) Designate an allergy-friendly fryer, which isn’t used for any common allergens, including breaded products, fish or shellfish, or foods containing nuts.

 

12) Wash and sanitize allergy equipment and surfaces between each use.

13) Design separate storage space for common food allergens, such as flours and nuts, to avoid cross-contact with allergy-friendly foods.

14) Design space in your food allergy area to hold different-shaped or different-colored plates, and use these dishes to serve allergy-friendly meals.

15) Ensure that your ventilation systems don’t spread flour dust, nut particles, or other allergens throughout the facility, which could contaminate virtually everything. Also, once your kitchen opens, be sure that all flours, nuts, and other common allergens remain covered to prevent cross-contact.

It’s important for restaurants to make a commitment to becoming allergy friendly and to getting it right. Having a list of dishes with allergens on your website or menu doesn't make your establishment allergen friendly. It’s important to prepare your kitchen to safely accommodate all guests, and that starts with design.

Being properly equipped to serve food-allergic guests can mean an easy increase in sales. Individuals who have food allergies are willing to travel to restaurants that they know are allergy friendly, and will become fiercely loyal to the restaurants that can expertly accommodate them. For a relatively small investment in kitchen design and training, the increased profits can easily offset the initial costs and save someone’s life. In many areas of the U.S., food allergen training is becoming mandatory. In fact, in 2012, the Department of Justice ruled that food allergies constitute a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, so ensure that you’re properly set up to accommodate food-allergic guests.

After your kitchen has been designed and is deemed to be food safety ready and allergen friendly, take the time to thoroughly train your team; otherwise, all of this time, energy, and expense will have been wasted.

When planning and designing a commercial kitchen, it’s critical to consider the big picture elements, such as kitchen flow, placement of equipment, designating a special allergy-friendly area, as well as the tiniest details, including reducing the amount of grout, sealing small areas to prevent insect and rodent infestations. Create a team of experts with relevant and diverse experience, as each different perspective will be valuable in creating a safe and successful space.

The Collaboration of Food Safety and Design: It’s Not Just About Cool Colors and Kitchen Aesthetics

By Francine L. Shaw, President
Food Safety Training Solutions, Inc.

Often, people think of only the aesthetics of a kitchen design – like what color tiles to use and what the finished project should look like. It’s far more important to think through the function of the design to maximize efficiency and to ensure it supports proper food safety protocols.Recently, I happened to sit next to an interior designer on a plane, and we chatted throughout the entire flight.  She was telling me about her job as an interior designer, and I was telling her about mine as a food safety expert, and we discussed – at length! – how these two roles aligned.   In our conversation, we agreed that food service professionals – restaurant owners, kitchen managers, etc. – should work in conjunction with the folks who design restaurants, kitchens, and equipment.  In fact, all commercial and residential kitchens should be designed with food safety in mind.

A person can wash their hands 100 times a day, but if the water at the sink doesn’t get hot enough, it’s irrelevant as far as food safety is concerned. Often, I see commercial kitchens with hot water tanks that are too small to handle their large volume of business.  This is something that should be considered at the design stage to ensure the proper size tank is installed (and will fit into the space).

Similarly, if the faucet at the kitchen sink is too low relative to the sink rim, contaminants can easily splash up into the aerator, making the faucet a major source of contamination. Many people would be shocked to learn how dirty kitchen sinks are – in both home and commercial kitchens.  If you wash poultry in the sink, for instance, you risk having salmonella splash up in the faucet where it can survive and breed. When’s the last time you took the aerator off your kitchen sink and cleaned it? (Not many people do.)

When planning and designing commercial kitchen spaces, it’s critical to consider food safety protocols.   When reviewing the proposed layout, think like a food safety expert (or, better yet, hire a food safety expert to consult on the project!).  For instance, servers shouldn’t walk through the prep areas with dirty dishes and utensils that they cleared from guests’ tables – that’s a contamination risk.  The kitchen space should have a separate area for staff to prep/cook/plate allergy-friendly meals for food-allergic guests.  Also, there should be separate equipment (including fryers and grills) that are designated allergy-friendly and free of common allergens, including gluten, seafood, nuts. and dairy.  The floor plan should show the flow between all areas of food service, coolers/freezers, storage, ware washing, server prep, restrooms and janitor areas to maximize food safety and minimize risks.

Cleanliness is an essential part of food safety procedures, and any good kitchen design makes it easy, efficient and safe to clean hands, food, dishes and other equipment.  Handwashing sinks should be convenient and easily accessible for all employees on the line, in prep areas, in the ware wash room and in the front of the house.  (Remember – everyone on your staff will need to wash their hands after handling money, touching menus, shaking hands with guests, before handling food, etc. – so all employees will need access to handwashing sinks throughout their shifts.)  Each kitchen should have at least one separate mop sink available to fill up and dispose of mop water – and this sink should never be used to wash food, equipment, dishes or hands.  Also essential: a 3-compartment sink for washing, rinsing and sanitizing equipment.  A 3-compartment sink is necessary even if the kitchen has a dishwasher.

The layout of each part of the kitchen should be thoughtfully considered for efficiency and food safety.  For instance, the food prep line should be efficient, of course, but should also be designed to elevate food safety practices.  In the prep line, position the salad station on the opposite end from where raw meat and poultry are being prepped and handled.  Additionally, store ready to eat foods (like produce) away from raw proteins (poultry, meat, seafood, eggs) to reduce the chance of cross-contamination.

While the design and functionality of the kitchen space are important, so is the design and functionality of kitchen equipment.  If the refrigerator in your commercial or residential kitchen has spots on the door to hold milk and eggs, that’s a design flaw that can lead to foodborne illness.  The door is actually the warmest spot in a refrigerator – especially when people are opening and closing the door multiple times per day.  Therefore, storing dairy and eggs there poses a risk.  Instead, store milk, eggs, and other dairy products at the proper temperature – in the coldest part of the refrigerator – and avoid exposing them to warm air throughout the day, which boosts the chance that harmful bacteria will grow.

Also, it may seem like a minor aesthetic detail, but kitchen designers must think about the materials they use – down to the tiles and shelving.  If designers use porous materials, there’s a much higher risk that the tiles (e.g., floors, counters, backsplashes) and shelving will harbor bacteria, which could lead to foodborne illness incidents or outbreaks.  Therefore, all finishes in food prep areas should be smooth, easily cleanable and non-absorbent.  In addition, designers and construction teams must prevent even the smallest cracks or crevices in kitchens, as these areas can quickly and easily attract dirt, germs, insects and rodents – which can a) lead to foodborne illnesses and b) be difficult and expensive to remove. Be sure to seal counters, cabinets and other equipment to the walls or, conversely, leave enough open space between the counters/cabinets/etc. and the walls to allow thorough and regular cleaning.

It is imperative that the minimum lighting requirements in food preparation, storage, and serving areas are met. And, that equipment and utensils conform to the requirements as specified in by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). These are areas that are frequently overlooked.

Food safety and design professionals must work collaboratively to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses and to maximize the safety of all guests. A food safety expert will add unequivocal value and confidence when designing for today’s world where food safety and food defense are of the utmost importance in any commercial kitchen.

Francine L. Shaw is President of Food Safety Training Solutions, Inc., which offers a robust roster of services, including consulting, food safety training, food safety inspections, norovirus policies for employees, norovirus clean-up procedures, curriculum development, responsible alcohol service training, and more. The Food Safety Training Solutions team has more than 100 combined years of industry experience in restaurants, casinos, and convenience stores. The company has helped numerous clients, including Paradies Lagardère, McDonald’s, Subway, Marriott, Domino’s, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, Dairy Queen, and Omni Hotel and Resorts, prevent foodborne illnesses. Additionally, they work with restaurants of all sizes, schools, medical facilities, convenience stores, hotels, and casinos.  Francine has been featured as a food safety expert in numerous media outlets, including the Dr. Oz Show, the Huffington Post, iHeartRadio, Food Safety News, and Food Management Magazine.