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If you’ve been reading the news lately, you might have noticed a disturbing story about 30 people who became gravely ill after eating at a restaurant in Spain. And it was not just any restaurant. It was one of the top restaurants in Europe – one that had even been given one star by…
The most effective training doesn’t teach key concepts once and then assume that they have “stuck.” Your safe restaurant or food service operation requires consistent monitoring and follow-up. But here’s a troubling thought . . . What if you teach your employees those skills, and they don’t use them? That’s a troubling thought, because food…
The “five second rule” states that if you drop food on the floor and it stays there for five seconds or fewer, it is safe to eat. The rule has become part of popular culture. The only problem is, the rule is completely wrong. According to research completed at Rutgers University, any food that hits…
Our Editorial Team had a busy year researching and writing post for the Tortal Blog. Here’s a list for your review. If you see a post that you would like to read, just click on its name and it will open in a new window. All of us at Tortal Training wish you every success…
We just enjoyed “Great Leaders and Great Trainers Have a Lot in Common,” a terrific blog post that Dale Ludwig published on the Training Industry Blog. Mr. Ludwig, the president and founder of Turpin Communication, shares some wise insights about why great trainers and great leaders have a lot in common. Here are three reasons…
There are dozens of videos on YouTube that show angry or disgruntled customers. Some show customers behaving badly. Others show employees doing the same. They’re very unpleasant to watch, but many of them teach valuable lessons about how employees should be trained to work better with customers. Here’s one video – admittedly disturbing to watch…
When inspectors shutter a restaurant or food concession, the most common reaction from the owners is, “I didn’t even know we were going to be inspected for that” or, “I had no idea we were in violation.” Unfortunately, ignorance is not a defense if government inspections find something wrong. And if your business is shut…
Most food workers know that foods can become contaminated if they are allowed to contact uncooked foods or surfaces where raw foods were previously processed. One example? If your broiler chef puts a cooked steak back on the plate that held it prior to cooking, that’s a recipe for bacterial contamination. But bacterial contamination is…
Do you have a training program in place for your food service or restaurant employees? If so, are you teaching them about food allergies? If not, you are exposing your customers to risk – and your restaurant to possible legal action if customers have allergic reactions. The lesson? Make sure your food service training teaches…
What is the most critical skill to cover in your food service training? Here’s a hint: it pertains to something you do every day We have all seen signs in restaurant washrooms that say, “All employees must wash their hands before returning to work.” It is good that those signs are posted, because all restaurant…
