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How to Handle Spills in Your Restaurant

• October 01, 2019
• Recent News
• CTC Corp

Spills are an inevitable part of restaurant reality. Even the best establishments have their off days! No amount of care and training can make a restaurant immune to accidents. One of the things that separates the amateurs from the bigwigs is how they react to these incidents. 

To a diner expecting nothing but the best from your restaurant, a beverage spilled on their table could be a harbinger of the end times. You can’t control or predict how every customer will react to human error, but you can strategize your reaction for when it does, inevitably, happen. 

Respond Promptly to Restaurant Spills

Spills can happen in any part of a restaurant. No matter where or how the spill occurred, it’s important to act quickly and correctly. Spills on the floor are a slip-and-fall hazard, so promptly addressing the issue is necessary. Here’s a good protocol: 

1. Assign

Unless it’s the whole wine shelf, one person should be able to handle one spill. By making it somebody’s specific responsibility, you eliminate the bystander effect and have an accountable party to turn to if something’s not right.

2. Isolate 

Use barriers and signs to separate the spill from customers and employees. 

3. Clean

Thoroughly clean the spill. If it happens on a table top or gets under table legs or mats, remove all materials, clean them with the appropriate cleaning products , and then address the spill. 

4. Allow To Dry Fully

If the restaurant is not too busy, then the area will eventually dry completely. If it’s busy and the area needs to be used ASAP, use towels to expedite the process.

5. Reopen 

Don’t forget to take the signs up when done. Though they keep partons and employees safe from wet areas, the partitions themselves can be hazardous if someone isn’t watching where they’re going. The less time they spend on the ground, the less likely they’ll be run into. 

Take Extra Care of Spills on a Customer

Perhaps one of the worst things that can happen during a spill is if a customer is caught up in it. If a server or another diner spilled on a diner, apologize and help them clean up.  Aside from a prompt and sincere apology owing up to the mistake, offer them solutions like shouldering the cost of having their clothes cleaned and/or offering them free drinks or desserts as consolation for their troubles.

The same amount of prompt response is needed when spills occur on table linens. Clear up the linens as soon as possible and give them a quick wash according to fabric care instructions, lest you risk permanent staining your linens. If using a laundry service or linen rental facility, hold the linen in a dry place until it can be taken for cleaning.

Restaurant Spills Happen

As inevitable as spills are in the food service industry, they’re still an unpleasant experience  – especially when they inconvenience diners and cost you their business. It’s extremely beneficial to work with a professional cleaner.

Some spills and stains are tougher than others and might need more than elbow grease and DIY solutions to address. For this, you need a professional laundry service that specializes in restaurant linens. Not only do these service providers have the facility to take on the more challenging laundry concerns, but they also have the expertise needed to bring the best solutions and results that work specifically for the food service industry.  

CTC Delivers Results

CTC has a complete range of linen service solutions for your restaurant business! Aside from our expert laundry services, we also have the widest selection of linens, uniforms, cleaning products, mats and other maintenance implements made for the food service industry.

Call 800-926-5646 to learn more about our services. We are a local business ready to walk you through every step of the process. Contact us today and experience the CTC difference.