At Raise the Grade®, we love working with restaurants, diners, hotels, and any other type of business in the food and hospitality industry. We’ve worked with countless establishments, providing ServSafe® certification and food handler courses for kitchen staff. However, it’s also important that front of house staff are trained in how to handle food and drink safely so customers get the best experience every time they visit. Keep reading to learn more, and please feel free to contact us with any questions!

What Are Front of House Positions?

There are several different front of house positions, and each one serves a different purpose in the day-to-day operations of a restaurant. The general manager, the shift manager, the host, and the servers are the most common positions, and your business may have a bar manager and bartenders as well. Each person should be trained on how to handle and serve food safely.

Handling Food Safely

Our ServSafe® food handler training program is designed to teach your front of house staff basic food safety, how to avoid cross-contamination and control allergens, and much more. Your wait staff will be the ones handling the food most often, so it’s important for them to understand personal hygiene and how it impacts the food handling process, as well as cleaning and sanitizing surfaces between customers.

Making Drinks Properly

If your restaurant has a bar, your bartenders can benefit from our ServSafe® alcohol service training. Whether they’re making drinks for customers at the bar or seated at tables, these front of house staff members can learn how to handle alcohol properly, what temperature certain items need to be stored at, and how to think and react successfully and responsibly when serving alcoholic beverages.

Keeping Everyone Trained

You never know when a certain front of house position will be called upon to handle food or drink, such as the general manager needing to assist during the lunch or dinner rush. By keeping everyone trained and up-to-date on safety and cleaning procedures, you can ensure your customers have an outstanding experience every time they dine with you.

 If you’re interested in learning more about our ServSafe® certification courses, please contact us online today. We proudly serve North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and we’d love the chance to work with you. Learn More Here!

Do you want to impress your food inspector? It is a daunting task, but not impossible. At Raise the Grade, we're here to help. Learn more about the ways in which you can impress your food inspector at your restaurant, bar, café, or another type of food establishment. Sign up for our food safety courses!

Maintain a Clean Kitchen

One of the most important things you can do to impress your food inspector is to maintain a clean kitchen and/or food prep area. This means keeping all surfaces — including floors, walls, and ceilings — clean and sanitized, as well as taking care of any spills or messes right away.  Make sure to keep food storage areas clean and organized, as well.

Be Prepared

One of the best ways to ensure a good inspection is to be prepared. This means having all of your paperwork in order, as well as being familiar with the food safety guidelines for your establishment. Being organized and prepared will show the inspector that you're serious about food safety.

Do Not Rush The Inspection

If you're feeling rushed, it may be tempting to cut corners. However, rushing the food inspector can result in a lower score or even getting shut down by your local health department. Rushing food safety inspections are not worth losing all of your hard work and effort. Instead, take the time necessary to carry out all food safety protocols and procedures and show the inspector around.

Make Sure You're ServSafe Certified

In order to be certified in food safety, it is essential that you take a food safety certification course, such as ServSafe®. With our ServSafe certification courses, you’ll learn everything you need to know to be a safe, successful food safety manager in your food establishment. When it's time for an inspector's visit, have all of your paperwork in order and be familiar with the food safety guidelines for your specific establishment.

The ServSafe certification courses here at Raise the Grade are comprehensive and will provide you with all the information you need to know in order to become ServSafe certified. Enroll today and gain the knowledge you need to impress your health inspector and earn a great score on your food inspection report!

Food is a daily necessity that no one can live without, and knowing how to safely handle food is of extreme importance. With the right training and education, you can easily learn how to properly handle food, minimizing the risk of bacteria, infections, and pathogens. Raise The Grade offers an easy and effective Food Handler Training that gets you your food safety certificate. A great way to start is by remembering these 4 tips on how to safely handle food. 

Controlling Allergens

Food allergies are one of the most dangerous and when handling the food of someone with a specific allergy, it’s extremely important to know how to properly handle their food with the utmost care. Using things such as color-coded storage and utensils is a great way to minimize the risk of triggering a food allergy. Once you learn how you can easily control allergens around you, it quickly becomes second nature. 

Prevent Cross Contamination 

Cross-contamination can easily happen between both cooked and raw foods, unintentionally transferring bacteria or other microorganisms. With this being one of the main sources of foodborne infections, it’s key to know the proper way in preventing this risk. Get your food handler certification to be trained and prepared in preventing cross-contamination. 

Importance of Time and Temperature

Time and temperature isn’t just a preference, it also keeps our food out of the danger zone, preventing us from getting ill. Without understanding the importance of both time and temperature, the risk of food poisoning bacteria growing is extremely high. Learning the right time and temperatures for your food will not only keep you safe but give you the most satisfying meals yet. 

Cleaning and Sanitizing 

The number one way to prevent the spread of bacteria and illnesses is with cleaning and hygiene. When you receive the right training on how to clean and sanitize your kitchen and eating spaces, you will also find your quality of health improving as well. Not only does it greatly minimize your risk of getting sick, but it keeps your surroundings clean, sanitized, and ready for the next delicious meal!

Learning how to safely handle food can seem like a lot of information and responsibility. But, with the right training and practice you find it quickly becomes second nature. At Raise The Grade, we offer an easy assessment program to help you get your food handler certification today!