Our news is dominated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the impact on the food-service and restaurant industry has been catastrophic, moments of light are emerging in the midst of this struggle.
As a restaurateur or food business owner, one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is, “What can I possibly do NOW to ensure that my business makes it to the other side of this crisis?”
With so much more free time, I have spent more hours than usual reviewing and discussing food safety, strategic planning & restaurant technology with industry professionals, and I’ve been able to break down practical guidance into three categories:
1. Infrastructure - When the dust settles, the businesses who will survive this crisis will be the ones who already had, or were able to quickly pivot to put infrastructure in place. Regardless of your size or menu concept, you will need to prepare to implement many of the concepts successfully executed by our favorite QSR leaders.
The list of “22 Online Ordering Statistics Every Restauranteur Should Know in 2020” presents a compelling look at the fact that online ordering is no longer optional for restaurants who want to survive, and that was BEFORE the pandemic.
If you didn’t already have relationships with 3rd party delivery services (i.e. Caviar, DoorDash, or Mercato), or have a digital ordering, delivery, kiosk and POS solution in place that also accepts contact-less payments (i.e. Toast integrated with industry leader Olo), now is the time to determine which options are best for you.

2. Food SafetyFood - Safety is presumed to be one of the cornerstones of food service, yet (based on publicly available information from local Health Departments) it has been more of an afterthought in too many operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought food safety and public health into the spotlight like never before. To inspire confidence in the minds of your customers, BOH, FOH, and Back-Office staff, be sure your updated Food Safety Management System incorporates Best Practices from the FDA (as of 4/13/20), as well as EPA-registered disinfectants, with exceptional transparency in your employee policies and consumer marketing.
Now is also the time to look critically at your pest control provider, as integrated pest management is an essential part of your HACCP Plan. With their team of Board-Certified entomologists, Western is particularly well-positioned as one of the most knowledgeable food-service partners in the industry.
Tracking each element of your daily food safety practices is something that will need to occur every day, during every shift. To make the process easier, you will likely want to incorporate an operations execution solution such as JOLT, Zenput, or Rizepoint to standardize team accountability and food safety compliance throughout your operation.

3. Strategic Planning - For all the times you may have said “I don’t have TIME for that...” in the past, now is the time to focus on strategic planning. With leading scientific, technical and economic sources projecting the pandemic to last for at least 18 months, businesses need to prepare for multiple phases of operational interruptions. The best thing we can do now is to make sure we are more prepared tomorrow than we were yesterday.
Maintain Social Distancing Protocols – Think about how you could either reconfigure your dining space or otherwise ensure that guests are seated at tables that are at least 6 feet apart. Although it may have seemed laughably futuristic just a year ago, examine whether a “collaborative robotics solution” might be right for your business in this age of heightened food safety and social distancing. If you (like I did as a child) ever wished for “The Jetsons” to come to life, this concept is guaranteed to delight and intrigue you.

Simplify Your Menu – With online & delivery firmly incorporated as part of your business model, you may want to re-think plate presentation in terms of which menu items will “travel well”, and which will translate into “family meals”.
Inventory Planning – A simpler menu will undoubtedly make food costing and inventory planning easier. The next step will require critical thinking about your non-food inventory; Not only takeout containers, carry-out bags, but tamper-proof packaging and pre-wrapped cutlery kits (which may also be used in your dining room).
Menu Costing – Implementing any or all of these changes will require re-calculating your recipe & menu costs. This is one of the many advantages of having an industry-leading restaurant management platform such as XtraChef as part of your infrastructure.

Minimize Food Waste –  Most of us are generally familiar with the statistics on household and restaurant food waste, but perhaps less familiar with the level of food waste occurring in every category of the supply chain. When you consider that this has a significant and direct impact on sliver-thin margins, it becomes imperative that you spend time planning how you can create a zero-waste kitchen as a way to keep more money in your bank account instead of your dumpster.

When your customers return (and they will), you’ll be very glad you took this time to plan for more thoughtful, safe, and efficient operations. Your staff will be more engaged, your customers will thank you with repeat business, and you’ll have higher confidence in your plans to satisfy their collective needs for comfort, career ambitions, culinary adventures, and celebrations for years to come.
Finally, reach out to me if you would like help with strategic planning, if you need to update your FSMS, or if you need further analysis to determine the best technology solutions for your business.

I am often asked to provide extensive information about building safety, but when it comes to the need for designing and planning Food Service Facilities, food safety is often put on the back burner. 
​For years I have understood the needs and requirements for qualified Food Service Facilities and more recently I’ve learned even more about the legalities of the Food Handling process. As a result, I’ve become cautious of the hands that feed me and after reading this article you will too.
My training and experience in designing and planning both Residential and Commercial Kitchens taught me that running a Commercial Kitchen is an entirely different animal than running a residential kitchen. Commercial kitchens are typically designed for the preparation of large quantities of food prepared by multiple people. Commercial kitchens are designed to accommodate the various functions of food prep – to ensure that food is stored at the proper temperatures, to eliminate cross contamination of food, and to ensure the convenience of hygienic activities such as hand washing, dish and utensil washing and also overall cleaning.
Caterers must prepare food in an approved facility. If they do not have their own facility, they can rent space in one of the local Incubator Kitchens (facilities for caterers that don't have a legal place to prepare food). Some Caterers also rent out church kitchens to prepare their food for events. But whatever the case, you must be aware of the hands that feed you.
Let’s say you attend a public event and a caterer is serving food. Do you dig right in or do you inquire about their company, their facilities, and their overall service? As the late President Ronald Reagan once said "Trust, but verify". Verify that all Chefs are ServeSafe Certified (they have been trained about the importance of food handling, food safety, safe preparation, and qualified preparation facilities). Verify that the Caterers have Food Handlers Licenses, Safety Permits and the food was prepared at a licensed facility (or at the very least, they obtained a temporary license to vend at that event).
Why is all this necessary? It's necessary because your health and safety is important. This verification process may not equate to a 100% guarantee, but following these steps will provide you with an extra layer of assurance, protection, and safety – food safety. Restaurants, Caterers, and anyone who prepares food for public consumption, must follow these rules.
Here are a few suggestions if you’re unsure about a Chef or Caterer's preparation facility: 

• Ask for their business name.
• Ask for their business location.
• Ask where their food is prepared.
• Ask if they hire certified caterers who prepare food in certified facilities.
• Google, Google, Google!

It is not rude to make these inquiries. Remember, your safety is important.
As a specialist in Commercial Kitchens, Restaurants, and Food Facility Design and Planning, I am available if you are a Chef or a Caterer looking to open a Restaurant, Cafe or Food Service Facility. Feel free to contact The Foodie Builder at (267)702-0810.

The most exciting time of my career took place throughout the year of 2018. I launched the Foodiebuilder® Brand in January I had the excitement of celebrating my 10th year in business in April and, throughout the year, I worked on eight food facilities located in the Philadelphia Bourse Building. The Philadelphia Bourse is a historical building, built in 1895, located on 5th Street in Philadelphia, between Market and Chestnut Streets. The Bourse, originally a Commodities Exchange, and a beautiful historic structure, was completely renovated to house a new Food Hall, hosting 20+ Restaurants, Cafes and Bars.
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Since my youth, I have always loved the character, style and architecture of the Bourse, so my excitement was heightened by having the honor of designing several of the interior spaces in the Food Hall, located on the first floor. The first project began for me in the fall of 2017, I began working on Chaat and Chai, an Indian Street Food restaurant. Early in 2018, I had the honor of taking on new projects at the Bourse, including Grub House Philly, Kari's Tea Bar and Bronze Table, an Italian Restaurant. Later in the summer, I added Olive With A Twist and Get Fried Philly; in addition to providing drawings for Permit Services for Barry's Buns and Chocodiem.
As I began the transition in the direction of my business, I also had the best opportunities you can ask for: great clients; fun work and good food. The best part of working on the Bourse project was seeing the transition of a building I have loved for decades from design and excavation; all the way to the final finishes and the grand opening.

​Mayor Kenney; Michael Morris, Cana Development

Since starting her company, Felicia has worked on many local restaurants including the following notable restaurants: The Palm; Rosa’s Fresh Pizza (1 and 2); and the Tropical Smoothie Cafe, located on Temple University’s campus. While working there, Felicia developed design and planning skills while learning a new specialty she likes to call Foodie Building. She worked on several notable projects including: a commissary kitchen in Vineland, New Jersey; cafeteria food lines for several Vineland schools; and Back of House dish rooms and kitchens for Foxwoods Casino in Rhode Island.

In 2018, Felicia will take her specialization further by offering complete Planning, Design-Build and Project Management Services for a full food facility project. She expanded her team for these services, offering a soup-to-nuts product. To learn more about Felicia Middleton and her Foodie-planning services, call 267.702.0810 or email her at the felicia.middleton@foodiebuilder.com.