How Do I Organize My Restaurant?

Here is something a lot of people ask us or want to know more about and that is

How do I organize my Restaurant?

Where do I begin to organize my restaurant?

What do I need to organize my restaurant?

How will Organizing my Restaurant improve my productivity?

Where do I get these organization tools from?

It can be a daunting task with so many tools, ingredients, containers & perishable food items to consolidate let alone the huge burden of managing staff & running a business. People don't realize how important Organization is and usually it gets pushed to the side until either it’s starts to become a burden or the health inspector tells you to do something about it.

For a lot of first time restaurant owners, they look for spaces that have existing commercial kitchens to keep start up costs down. Sometimes with equipment already in place just to get them started which is totally Understandably. It's a no brainer to repurpose items already on hand or use tools you had previously that still work perfectly fine. Most people will keep existing systems in place & as they figure out their preferred work flow they can slowly adjust as needed. Then later when business starts to take off, thats when its time to re-evaluate, replace or upgrade. Because ultimately when it comes to figuring out how to organize your space that’s something only you as the person utilizing the space day to day can determine.

Where do I Begin Organizing my Restaurant?

You can start by identifying your work zones. This will help you figure out where certain items should be kept & from that point make things easier to sort & organize for efficiency.

For Example:

- Prep station or Prep tables

- Hot station

- cold station

- Sanitation closet

- walk-in or refrigeration wall

- inventory receiving area

- produce washing station

- baking / dessert station

- server station

- bar / drink station

- linen storage closet

- laundry station

All these areas are opportunities for amazing organization. Once your systems are set in place, its also easier for staff to remember where things go back when prepping for the next shift.

So What Do you Need to start Organizing my Restaurant?

Typically it starts with the shelving which is the foundation of what your organization bits are built around. Metro Foodservice the leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen shelving offers many styles all proven to be stronger, sturdier & longer lasting than the other brands.

Which shelving you choose depends on the environment the shelving will be living in. Chrome Super Erecta shelving is your basic starter shelving & what you usually see in most restaurants. But in most cases, we recommend you stay away from Chrome as much as possible if your budget allows. Even as dry storage, our wonderful salty sea air takes a beating on Chrome shelving which shortens its lifetime. At minimum, try to stick with our Metro Super Erecta Pro coated Epoxy wire shelving with shelf mats. Mats will help protect the shelving finish & prolong shelf life. For cold storage or dish pit areas, you’ll want to go with the MAX i or MAX4 all polymer shelving for a lifetime rust free finish. Our Metro Max i can handle up to 1000lbs per 5ft shelf!

If you’re in need of a dish drying & storage rack, metro has the all polymer dish drying racks with accessories such as pot & tray rack & even a drip water catch at the bottom to ensure water doesn’t pool onto the ground and become a safety hazard.

Once you’ve established what kind of shelving you want & where you want it in your space, now its time to think about how to optimize it.

But How will this Help my Productivity & Improve Workflow in my Restaurant?

Simple - Mise en place (everything in its place)

All tools, containers, ingredients & cleaning supplies should be separated, color coded, organized & within easy reach of any work station to create a smoother more efficient work flow.

First thing to consider doing is REMOVING INVENTORY FROM CARDBOARD BOXES! We cannot emphasize this enough. Cardboard boxes are the original organization system. But cardboard comes in different sizes that can make organizing difficult, gets tossed around & placed on non-food surfaces which in turn transfers to your clean food sanitized surfaces. It can also attract pests like roaches, rodents & can be a breeding ground for MOLD or Mildew in unventilated dry storage areas.

Especially during this Pandemic time, foodservice operators are encouraged to presort & wash their fresh inventory & discarding all packaging before bringing it into the work space to prevent cross contamination of any kind.

You also don’t want to risk using a box that previously held something like raw meat to be used later for takeout boxes or worse - more storage.

Organizing your Take-out Items:

If you’re doing a lot of takeout, you probably want to consider cup storage like the Metro Overhead cup storage unit because remember you want to take inventory out of those boxes! The overhead storage will help hold your takeout inventory upright so they're not falling around onto the ground.

Carlisle Stor-Plus Color-coded Food Storage Boxes & lids to store back stocks of take out containers, plates or utensils. These boxes are a multi-purpose organization tool. These boxes are easily stackable and allows like sized boxes on your shelves which is better for organizing rather than odd shaped boxes.

Also consider the Carlisle Packet Rack to help store pre-wrapped utensils & condiments near the take out station. That way its within easy reach when prepping takeout orders.

Also think about incorporating your work surface into your shelving like our Metro Work stations. By adding the overhead shelving above it helps keeps your work station free & clear for active orders rather than storage.

Organizing Dry Storage in My Restaurant:

For dry storage items, Carlisle Square food Storage Containers also work well for pastas, beans or rice. It’s good to remove them from their original boxes & put them into like sized containers instead of stacking odd size boxes or containers off each other creating an avalanche of ingredients. Also the cover of these containers have areas to write what items are inside & date to ensure food items are rotated properly.

If you do batch cooking and use large food cans, consider can organizers from Metro to help clear up valuable shelving space & to ensure proper FIFO (aka first in first out).

Bakery areas already use our large Carlisle rolling ingredient bins for their flour or sugar but sometimes there just isn’t a good place for them in the kitchen. Consider the Metro Roll-under shelf kits which allows for stability of the tall legs with its C-frame and also allows storage above the bins. Remember keep lighter items up top to prevent the shelf from toppling over onto you!

Another storage hack to consider are the Metro tray slides. Typically they’re used to store prepared food in the walk-in so you don’t have the rolling racks taking up valuable refrigerated space. But another way to use these tray slides are for utensil or ingredient drawers. Load them up with your back stock of large spoons, tongs, spatulas, chopsticks, small little items (even screw drivers & hammers! cause you need that in a kitchen right? ) so they stay neat, organized & clean when not in use.

Another useful space that everyone forgets is the WALL itself. Use can use the Metro Smart wall systems to create wall hanging drying racks above dish pits, utensil & spice racks on the wall or on the sides of shelves, or above work stations like on our Metro Smartlever system for easy access while prepping on the stainless steel worktop below it.

An item that is now a staple in every foodservice establishment is PPE. Metro has a PPE holder that can hook onto existing wire shelving so your not opening boxes of PPE unnecessarily. Keep it neat & clean in the holder & within easy reach.

Also let’s not forget shelving tags! The perfect way to ensure staff puts items back into the same spot. a perfect organization tool!

Safety Equipment in My Restaurant:

When it comes to knife storage, you don’t want your blades to be bumping around in a drawer or standing up in a container. It can dull, chip or worse cut someone! Use a San Jamar knife storage systems to keep your knives sanitary & safe. While you’re at it, install a San Jamar Mani-Kare Kit bandaid dispenser to keep bandages within reach. The last thing you want to be doing is fumbling for a bandage or dropping a whole bunch of bandages on the ground by mistake.

Sanitation organization in my Restaurant:

Lastly every kitchen needs a sanitation zone where they store their mops, brooms, buckets, squeegees, cleaners, sanitizers, and many more items that you don’t want mingling in with your food items.

If there is wall space, install the Carlisle broom holder to keep them from falling over on each other or their bristles getting bent. If you need a place for a sanitation bucket, consider the Carlisle sani-pails and the Metro Pail holder to hook onto an 18” deep shelf or cart.

Where do I get these items to Organize my Restaurant?

So where do you pick up these amazing organization tools? Well from your local Hawaii dealers of course! Locals supporting locals is the only way to help everyone who lives, works & plays on this island State we call home. Otherwise contact us @pacrimreps anytime for assistance with any storage & organization questions.

Organization doesn’t have to be a huge project you take on all at once because let’s face it restauranteurs are BUSY from dawn to dawn! Regardless of what kind of commercial kitchen you have there’s always little ways to make improvements.

There are so many more organization accessories & tips so if you want more information or have any questions feel free to reach out to us so we can help suggest more storage solutions for your kitchen.

We appreciate all that everyone is doing to do their part to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We're all in this together & we want to do what we can to be of value to you during this time. Please give us a call - we are here for you!

Mahalo - PAC RIM REPS

#restaurant #organization #organizemyrestaurant #metrofoodservice #metroshelving #commercialshelving #shelving #carlislefoodservice #carlislefsp #safetyequipment #Sanitationorganization #sanitation #kitchenstorage #foodstorage

Check out our Video on Youtube: Organize Your Restaurant Food Storage Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: PAC RIM TV

Safe Ice Handling Practices - How to Handle Ice without Compromising your Operation

It's often overlooked that ice is food. Most foodservice employees are trained in proper handling of food while ice is an afterthought. Ice is transported in buckets that isn't washed regularly, hands or other objects are placed into the ice bin or no one thinks about when the last time that ice scoop was washed because ice is clean right?

Ice is just as susceptible to contamination, if not more so. While foods can be cooked to temperature, effectively killing any bacteria obviously we have to take stricter measures to take care of ice. The only way to get rid of bacteria in ice is to discard it. Many servers think nothing of scooping ice out of the bin with the glass instead of a scoop. This action can easily transfer bacteria that may be lingering on the glass to the ice or even allow hands to get into the ice itself. Or worse, the glass can chip into the ice causing a potentially life-threatening injury!

For these reasons, ice needs to be treated as food would be. Safe handling procedures must be put in place for the safety of your employees and customers alike. But fear not! Carlisle / San Jamar provides the necessary tools to make it easy to handle ice safely.

THE ICE SCOOP

The San Jamar Safe-T Ice scoop & Guardian System made from durable polycarbonate NSF certified material features a knuckle guard to help keep hands away from ice. The Guardian can fasten to the inside or outside of the bin with included suction cups, brackets or hardware which keeps the scoop out of the ice when not in use.

RULES TO FOLLOW FOR SAFE ICE HANDLING:

- Always use dedicated scoop for ice

- store scoop outside or above the bin

- Never use bare hands to scoop ice

- Never use a glass to scoop ice

- Never throw unused ice back into the ice bin

- Always use a dedicated ice tote to transport ice

- Clean & sanitize ice scoops & totes daily

Also important is to wash hands regularly when handling the ice scoop! Between bussing tables & taking orders then making drinks, its often forgotten to wash between tasks.

ICE BUCKETS

Always use a freshly cleaned bucket when transferring ice. Never use a bucket that has been laying around for who knows how long. This is a prime way to contaminate ice. Instead use the San Jamar light duty Ice tote to transfer small amounts of ice & the Safe-T tote for larger quantities up to 25lbs. These totes can be attached directly to the ice bin for easy filling and raised handles to avoid contamination from the floor. Also indents in the base leave an area for hands to easily tilt ice out of the tote. Made from durable polycarbonate NSF materials and has exclusive Tri-Grip ergonomic handles for easy lifting & pouring. Comes in 2 sizes 5 gallon & 6 gallon designed specifically to fit into commercial dishwashers.

ICE TRANSPORT & STORAGE

Carrying 25lbs of ice back & forth between the back of the house to the front can be tiring and just too heavy for some people. Avoid costly work related injuries from ice transport with our San Jamar Safe-T ice cart. It can hold 2 Safe-T totes filled to the max and folds down when not in use. 2 models are available for the 5 gallon & 6 gallon totes.

If you need more storage then opt for our ICE ONLY container which is made with an ergonomic handle for easy handling, deep hand holds on base for controlled tipping & reinforced lids that snaps down to seal.

Also don't forget our Carlisle portable ice caddy with its extra thick foam insulation to maintain temperatures, rounded inside corners & removable lid for easy cleaning. Stainless steel reinforced hinges prevent rusting, heavy duty casters for easy rolling & NSF rated. Remember to wash and sanitize this bin as often as any other ice storage container!

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE ICE...

Of course no matter how careful you are, it all starts with clean ice and that means a well maintained ice machine. Specially trained Refrigeration Technicians are available to do this service for you if you cannot do this yourself as taking apart the machine to scrub can be a daunting task.

CLEAN YOUR ICE MACHINE & BIN:

- Empty & clean/sanitize your ice machine & ice bin every 2-4 months to reduce risk of contamination, eliminate odors and improve taste of ice.

- Completely clean & descale your ice machine every 6 months

- Use a water filter! YES it does make a difference in taste, ice quality as well as cleanliness of the ice machine itself

- Vacuum the coils & air filters of your ice machine regularly

- Install your ice machine in a well ventilated area away from cooking equipment, refrigerators and other appliances that can cause cross contamination

- Think about getting a UV protection system if your ice machine is within close distance of beer, rice making or bread making.

Carlisle makes a wide range of sanitation supplies so ask us for some assistance or browse their catalog to see more! We're always here to help our foodservice community in anyway we can.

Mahalo - PAC RIM REPS

#pacrimrepshi #werehereforyou #carlisle #sanjamar #sanitation

Let's get Creative! Growing trend of take-out & curbside pick up - Hawaii Foodservice Industry

With the effects of the COVID-19 hysteria looming over our Hawaii foodservice industry, a lot of small businesses are having a hard time dealing with the lack of customers at a time of year when business is usually pumping. Cancellations of events are felt not just by restaurants & hotels but also flower shops who do all the floral arrangements or leis for venues, non-food suppliers who supply the foodservice establishments, all the way down to the farmers who work hard all season to grow fresh crops. Instead of sitting back & worrying, a lot of businesses are fighting back and coming up with brilliant ways to get them through this rough patch. Here are some ideas that I thought were worth mentioning:

CURBSIDE PICK UP:

Of course everyone is pushing for customers to call in for take-out but a lot of restaurants who may not have advertised this in the past such as 3660 on the Rise are now offering curbside pick-ups. Also restaurants like Fete Hawaii offer online ordering along with curb-side pick up. Many other restaurants offer this service as well so make sure you ask your favorite restaurant how you can order take-out either by phone or online.

A REMINDER TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES

island olive oil company reminds people that you can still shop there for your pasta instead of making a run on your local grocery store. Also beef Jerky is a nutritious food that keeps well for long periods. If Costco is out of your favorite Jerky go check out small businesses like Snack addicted for their amazing beef Jerky. Supporting each other by supporting local businesses.

MOVING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE

Not only are restaurants starting to have convenient services such as online ordering & google reservations, they are creating non-perishable goods to sell for pick up or online. From sauces, oils to jams and even meat! Butcher & Bird offers a 'Baller Pack' of $250 worth of USDA prime meat that is vacuum packed and ready to throw into the freezer or right onto your grill. They will vacuum seal any order small or large. A great way to get cuts of meat you want if your local grocery store is out. Not to mention, supporting a local small business!

Also worth mentioning is Garlic Lime Chili or @garliclimechili808 on instagram which is now offering a 20% discount for online orders from March 15th to the end of the month with promo code: COVID-19. Such a great way to get peoples attention and a promo code you CAN'T forget!

GIFT CARDS & GIFT CERTIFICATES

Many businesses in this industry in combination with the high cost of doing business in Hawaii in general, work off of VERY small margins. Gift cards & certificates can offer businesses a small reprieve to get through this slow time. Noodle club of Waimea is advertising their gift certificates to give to a friend in need or to keep for a later date. That way when things settle down you can go in & redeem them for their awesome services!

LIMITING DINE-IN SEATING

Some restaurants such as Buzz's steakhouse in Kailua have opted to limit their seating by taking away tables & barstools to minimize the risk of spreading the infection in conjunction with upping their sanitation practices. They are also recommending to call them for take out if you don't want to dine-in. This is a bold move but this will not only reduce the task of having to sanitize many surfaces but also reduces the risk of large crowds. A commendable move for the safety of their employees & customers.

Verde Hawaii in Kauai has also announced that they are practicing social distancing by alternating tables for their dine in customers. This limits seating but at least gives customers some distance between each other & gives employees time to sanitize tables between parties - very creative!

GOING ON THE ROAD - TRUNK SALES OR FREE DELIVERY

A lot of smaller businesses who rely on the open markets & pop-up food truck style events to sell their products are trying to figure out ways to keep afloat. Farmers are sitting on perishable goods that they don't want to see go to waste! I see some farmers setting up tables where they can such as empty schools on the weekend or other empty parking lot areas so as not to create too much of a crowd.

Some small bakers are asking department stores or shopping malls to set up small tables to display their baked goods they had prepared for an event that was cancelled. When events are cancelled at the last minute, not only do the vendors have to worry about getting their booth fees back but now they are sitting on product they had to buy ingredients for.

Other companies like Punaluu Pastures in Kailua is asking their customers to pick-up fresh eggs directly from their farm because of cancellations. If you have a favorite vendor you pick up perishable goods from please contact them to see if you can pick up direct or where they are setting up their tables.

One very savvy business owner Dipped By Dee who has made it known that her location is hard to find because of all the food trucks that sit parked in front of her little store, is advertising trunk sales where she drives out to locations across Oahu. If customers can't come to her - she will come to them!

Other companies are offering FREE delivery as well so keep an eye out for these options.

MEAL DELIVERY SERVICES - REQUESTING NO CONTACT DELIVERY

In an email sent out by Doordash, they are now offering a no-contact option for delivery. In the delivery instructions you can indicate you want 'no-contact'. Once your driver is assigned, you can text the driver to remind them of the no-contact option and an image of the delivery location. Your 'Dasher' will confirm with you once the order is delivered along with a confirmation on the app. Just one way these meal delivery services are trying to adapt to the current situation.

CREATIVE MARKETING

It is well known that in Hawaii, when we prep for disasters the first thing we grab is spam, bottled water & toilet paper. You can't blame us because we are water locked and all our supplies have to be brought in via barge or airplane. But it's funny how it has swept the nation - did we start this trend? Quite possibly but now the people who actually need toilet paper cannot get! This lack of supply for common items has caused more hysteria.

Some companies are taking advantage of this situation with clever marketing. Like Purve donuts who have posted a contest offering the winner a 6-pack of toilet paper if they subscribe to their instagram, like that post & tag a friend. Contest ends Sunday 3/15 but they not saying when so hurry up & get those comments in!

Other companies have made cheeky posts about trading a roll of toilet paper for a beer or ON THE WALL's post says "there's no Corona here, only Local beer!"

In all seriousness, this situation will only get worse so if we can help share some ideas to help companies pivot & adjust to this new way of doing business or inspire others to get just as creative with marketing and offer solutions, that's what we're here for. We at PAC RIM REPS are not on the front lines of the foodservice industry but we are very much a part of it & feel the stress as much as these business owners do. #notsponsered Even if you don't buy anything from any of the amazing Foodservice Manufacturers we represent, we still want see everyone get through this together & succeed.

- PAC RIM REPS, Honolulu HI

#pacrimrepshi #hawaii #hawaiifoodservice #foodservice #hawaiireps