 As restaurants use automation in an effort to tackle labor challenges, they are also aiming to get a better handle on food safety challenges, consistency issues and consumer preferences. For example, Panera has been using the CookRight Coffee system from Miso Robotics to power their popular coffee subscription program. The system uses artificial intelligence to monitor coffee volume and temperature, which allows the brand to free up staff for other tasks. But beyond that, the technology also provides predictive analytics to inform the restaurant of what kinds of coffee customers are ordering and when – so it can then provide (and promote) the options that are bringing customers into the restaurant under various conditions.
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 If you’re taking part in outdoor festivals this summer or are otherwise serving guests outdoors, take steps to avoid creating the conditions for bacteria to multiply. Make sure you keep cold foods cool (41°F or colder) and out of the temperature danger zone. Store ready-to-eat foods like fruit in separate coolers from raw meat to avoid cross-contamination, and have separate utensils, plates and cutting boards on hand when preparing and serving raw and ready-to-eat dishes.  Consumers crave farm-fresh produce as the weather warms up – particularly as local, plant-based diets become bigger priorities. But as you race to churn out fresh vegetables on your menu, make sure you’re keeping food safety hazards in mind. As food safety expert and barfblog.com publisher Doug Powell has said, “Fresh produce is the biggest source of foodborne illness in the U.S. and North America, and it has been for at least a decade.” The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that fresh produce has been responsible for 629 outbreaks over the past 10 years, making nearly 20,000 people sick. To limit the spread of illness, make sure you familiarize yourself with your suppliers’ food safety practices and values.
 The pandemic has made safety the new hospitality – and as a result, safety information about your restaurant is becoming a bigger commodity. This spring, Yelp announced a new partnership with Hazel Analytics, which uses data-driven technology to improve public health. Hazel Analytics now powers the hygiene data on hundreds of thousands of Yelp pages, pulling information from health departments across 48 states. If you need guidance on the best ways to tackle food safety challenges with fewer staff, contact Team Four and we can help you get on track.
 As sky-high inflation impacts food prices – all while restaurants are trying to attract and retain labor – operators have had to adopt new ways of passing costs on to guests. But as you contemplate added charges of various forms, whether to level the playing field for back-of-house staff or to fund new benefits you’re offering, consider how they will impact the daily working experience and general safety of your staff. When there is a surprise service charge tacked on to a bill as opposed to higher prices across the menu, your staff is in the position of having to explain the unexpected expense to a (possibly confused or exasperated) guest. The employee’s tips and overall satisfaction with the job may suffer as a result. There is no magic formula for spreading out costs right now, but whatever structure you land on, talk about it with your team to better understand their concerns and protect their safety on the job.
 In times when labor is in short supply, restaurants often have to revisit what tasks are essential. Unfortunately, that often means focusing on food preparation and food-related customer service at the expense of other important tasks happening behind the scenes. Cleaning practices may suffer as a result. Your restroom maintenance is one area that might easily slip off of your list of priorities, but do your best to keep it on the list. A survey from Harris Interactive found that 50 percent of restaurant guests who had a negative experience with a restaurant bathroom will mention it to friends and family. Based on that bad experience, whether it relates to dirty toilets, bad odors or something else, your guests are apt to make assumptions about the level of care you put into your food and food safety (and opt for a different restaurant next time). Make sure you don’t leave guests with a bad impression before they even have a chance to taste your food.
 Food substitutions are a way of life for operators right now as supply chain challenges continue. As you swap in new produce, different cuts of meat, or otherwise alter a dish in some way, your food preparation processes need to be adjusted too. Say you’re working with a new supplier of a key ingredient and the portion size you receive is different from what you’re accustomed to using. How are you compensating for this to ensure the overall experience of eating the dish remains high? You may need to adjust cooking times to avoid over- or under-cooking, or simply tweak accompanying sauces and other ingredients to uphold the quality of the dish.
 Human error generates great expense in the restaurant industry. A recent report from FoodDocs indicates that on average, human error costs the service industry around $30 per order. One widespread mistake is incorrect order taking, which can trigger anything from a negative review to a severe allergy. It’s also preventable if you reinforce some manual and tech-driven checks. Advise staff to confirm verbal orders when they are placed (and also when they are served). If you’re using a tech-based system to take orders, make sure the final screen lists the items clearly, along with any substitutions.
 Food storage areas are a key source of contamination. If you’re working in a small space – and many of us are these days as restaurant footprints shrink – ensure you’re taking steps to prevent cross-contamination of foods with chemicals or with incompatible foods. That includes not storing any food items alongside cleaning supplies, keeping food in airtight containers, allowing air to flow around the items you’re storing, rotating stock and removing waste promptly. In your cooler, keep raw meat, poultry and seafood on the lowest shelves to prevent those items from dripping onto other foods.
 Ongoing supply chain problems mean that replacing a piece of equipment or a needed part could easily take months. In the interest of both food safety and the safety of your employees, take stock of what you need to do to keep your key equipment running as it should. A study from NSF International found that 27 percent of quick-service operations switch off machinery because of a lack of expertise or time to get to the root of a problem, and 10 percent of quick-service managers admitted to skipping automatic cleaning cycles and ignoring error messages on equipment. Now is an important time to get to know how to best maintain your equipment and ensure your employees feel safe in promptly reporting when something isn’t working properly.
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