Restaurant Food Safety Research Articles

Restaurant Food Safety: The Influence of Employee Outlooks on Transfer of Training

This exploratory case study hypothesized that improvements in food safety transfer of training were linked to employees' outlooks on key behavioral factors. Employee perceptions of 6 theorized, latent behavioral variables were analyzed to see if they had a relationship with health inspection outcomes of a casual-theme restaurant concept in the Southeastern U.S. A total of 15 restaurants were sampled, yielding 210 observations, which represented a 40% response rate. The results advocate that the employees' outlook played a significant role in the transfer of food safety knowledge and skills gained in training. There was also evidence that the employee's self-efficacy and sense of social responsibility had positive relationships with restaurant inspection scores.

FOOD TUBE: COVERAGE OF FOOD SAFETY ISSUES THROUGH VIDEO

ABSTRACT Food safety in restaurants is an increasing concern among consumers. A primary population segment working in foodservice is receiving food safety information through new media channels such as video social network websites. This research used content analysis to examine the purpose and messages of food safety‐related videos posted to YouTube. A usable sample of 76 videos was identified using “food safety” in the YouTube search function. Results indicate that videos must be artfully developed to attract YouTube users while conveying a credible and educational message. Communicators must also monitor new media for competing messages being viewed by target audiences and devise strategies to counter such messages. This one‐time snapshot of how food safety was portrayed on YouTube suggests that the intended purpose of videos, whether educational or entertainment, is not as relevant as the perceived purpose and the message being received by viewers. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSFindings from this study inform food safety educators working with young adults about existing messages in emerging communications channels. Many youth are moving to new social networking and online resources for entertainment and education. These findings characterize food safety information youth can currently access on one such site. By knowing what complementary and competing messages exist, educators, food safety experts and communicators can more strategically develop messages for this medium, which, in turn, helps achieve their communication or educational objectives.

Clean restrooms: how important are they to restaurant consumers?

AbstractThere are many choices to make in restaurant dining, and for experienced consumers, the expectation of safe, quality food has increased. The foodservice industry is in a challenging and competitive environment. Determining what factors of customer satisfaction are important to maintain or increase market share is critical to success. For consumers, there are few opportunities to evaluate food handling, safety and cleanliness practices of a restaurant. Research has shown that consumers are concerned with restroom cleanliness, with a functioning restroom having a positive influence on customers' perception of the restaurant; and has also been shown to impact the choice of where to eat or whether to return to a restaurant. This study tested these assumptions by using a data set from the southwestern US, finding that consumers are concerned with restaurant cleanliness and food safety, with restrooms an important factor to consumers when assessing the cleanliness of an eating establishment.

Intervention improves restaurant employees' food safety compliance rates

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate the relative effectiveness of four‐hour ServSafe® food safety training, a theory‐based intervention targeting food service employees' perceived barriers to implementing food safety practices, and a combination of the two treatments. Dependent measures include behavioral compliance with and perceptions of control over performing hand washing, use of thermometers, and handling of work surfaces.Design/methodology/approachFour groups are compared: employees receiving only ServSafe® training, intervention alone, training and intervention, and no treatment. Employees complete a questionnaire assessing perceived barriers to practicing the targeted behaviors. Then, employees are observed in the production area for behavioral compliance.FindingsTraining or intervention alone is better than no treatment, but the training/intervention combination is most effective at improving employees' compliance with and perceptions of control over performing the behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsResearch is limited to restaurant employees in three states within the USA, in only 31 of the 1,298 restaurants originally contacted. Future research should identify barriers of other types of food service employees and evaluate the effectiveness of these and other intervention strategies.Practical implicationsServSafe® training can be enhanced with a simple intervention targeting food service employees' perceived barriers to food safety. Providing knowledge and addressing barriers are both important steps to improving food safety in restaurants.Originality/valueNo previous research has used the theory of planned behavior to develop an intervention targeting food service employees' perceived barriers to implementing food safety practices. Research also has not attempted to improve the effectiveness of ServSafe® food safety training by adding an intervention.

Food Safety in Fast Food Restaurants

ABSTRACT Given that health department inspections of fast-food restaurants may not be sufficient to ensure compliance with food safety regulations, managers must be vigilant in ensuring conformity with practices that safeguard public health. This case study of one fast-food employee's experience at three different fast-food restaurants suggests that employees' training and supervision require more attention to safety procedures. Greater manager accountability for employee noncompliance and an increased emphasis on employee education could help fast-food restaurants minimize threats to public health and strengthen the fast-food industry.

CONSUMER ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY OF RESTAURANTS: THE ROLE OF INSPECTION NOTICES AND OTHER INFORMATION CUES

ABSTRACT This paper explores the ways in which consumers assess the safety of food in restaurants and other eating‐out establishments, and the resulting impact on restaurant choice. The analysis builds on the existing literature on restaurant choice more generally and a growing body of studies on the impact of official inspection information on the perceived safety of restaurants. Based on a two‐stage consumer study in the City of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, involving focus groups and a postal survey, the research highlights how consumers base their assessment of food safety in restaurants using a range of visible indicators of the experience and/or credence characteristics associated with foodborne illness. These include their observed judgments of restaurant hygiene, the overall quality of the restaurant, external information, including official inspection certificates, and the level of patronage. The use of these broad groups of indicators varies across consumer subgroups according to gender, age, level of education and recollections of past incidences when a restaurant was closed and/or convicted for food safety reasons.

FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY CONTROL ACTIVITIES IN COMMERCIAL FOODSERVICE IN THE CITIES OF CAMPINAS (SP) AND PORTO ALEGRE (RS), BRAZIL

The guarantee of food safety in restaurants is a factor of relevance to human health. For this reason the use of control systems or activities in commercial restaurants in the cities of Campinas (SP) and Porto Alegre (RS) was investigated. The managers of 108 restaurants were interviewed coming from three distinct segments: self service by weight barbecue and fast food. It was shown that 52.8% of the firms interviewed used quality control systems or activities and that the restaurants serving the greater number of meals per day adopted these measures in a greater proportion. The reason most cited for not implementing the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system and the Good Manufacturing and/or Production Practice Norms (GM/PP) was a lack of knowledge of these methods. (authors)