The restaurant I have chosen, called Casa Vasca, is a Spanish restaurant offering a variety of different seafood dishes. It is located in Newark, New Jersey (07105), at 141 Elm Street. As the restaurant is open daily, I have visited it once during the working days (21.11.2016 at 5:00 p.m.) and on the weekend (19.11.2016 at 9:00 p.m.) to compare whether the restaurant practices or service differs on regular days and at the weekends when it has many visitors, and the kitchen is indeed busy.
According to my observation, the personal hygiene of the employees serving food was proper. Their hands seemed clean as well as their clothing. The waitress serving food was wearing a hair restraint and a special uniform. Apart from that, she did not have any jewelry and the scratch or a wound on her wrist was covered with a waterproof bandage. Importantly, the staff followed the essential rule of handling food, which is no direct contact between the hands and the ready meal (King, 2013).
All of the employees were wearing a special uniform that represents the cultural views of the restaurant. All of the workers were neat; their clothes were clean and tidy. In general, the faculty was quite clean, the tables were properly washed as well as the tablecloths, and the chairs were in order as well. However, when nobody could observe me, I checked the lamp on the wall by my table, and it was a bit dusty both times that I went to this place.
Therefore, the cleaning manager could have possibly disregarded washing some of the faculty hard-to-reach spots. It can be assumed that dust could get into the diners’ foods, which is a strong violation of food safety and sanitation rules (King, 2013).
The menu includes some TCS foods such as milk and dairy products, poultry, shellfish and crustaceans, baked potatoes, cut tomatoes, and so on. In terms of equipment that keeps food warm or cold, the restaurant possesses countertop warmers, pizza holding cabinets, soup kettles, thermalizes, and vertical bakery display cases for the cold desserts. Regarding the conditions of display food items and serving utensils, I was able to observe that everything was properly cleaned and in the condition close to new. However, when my dining partner ordered tea, she was served it in a cup with a small fissure, and we had to ask to replace it since cracks are a source of bacteria (King, 2013).
The only thermometer that was in sight was the one inside the vertical bakery display case with desserts. It should be noted that there were no visual cleanliness issues in terms of dispensing equipment. Everything was clean and in a visually good condition except the coffee dispenser – it had difficulty in pouring; however, the restaurant employee claimed that this problem has occurred only at the time of my visit and it was operating properly throughout the day (the visit of 21.11.2016). Overall, the display equipment, tables where visitors sit, and eating utensils were clean and in an appropriate condition (new or close to such condition).
If the food is handled poorly or the time-temperature rules are not followed, the restaurant can subject its client to serious health-related hazards (King, 2013). For instance, spore formers, E. Coli, or salmonella are highly possible to emerge in this type of cuisine (King, 2013). In addition, if the food is not cooked properly, the visitors can catch botulism toxin (King, 2013). However, the research on the Internet has revealed that there were no such cases in this restaurant. Importantly, throughout the operation, the employees use mechanical and manual cleaning. In terms of sanitation, the restaurant performs both thermal and chemical (detergents) sanitation.
Based on the discussion above it can be concluded that Casa Vasca purports to be a high-class restaurant that serves delicious food in a cozy and neat environment and a relaxing atmosphere. Nevertheless, there are certain issues to reconsider. Cleanliness of the place and all the related aspects and areas (tables, employees’ clothing, utensils, and so on) is one of the basic aspects every foodservice should ensure. Therefore, it is inappropriate to neglect the cleaning duties that the staff has to perform since the dust or other dirt can easily get into the food or kitchen area and contaminate the products or meals (King, 2013).
The negligence in terms of sanitation can result in threats to the health status of the visitors, and the reputability of the place could be questioned. However, the general impression of the restaurant is rather positive despite the dust issue and the broken cup. The area is clean, and the employees follow all the essential security and safety measures.
If I were appointed the new supervisor of this food service facility, I would immediately inspect the place regarding the cleanliness and discuss the inadvertence of janitorial measures to address the situation most effectively. In addition, I would instruct the employees that it is inappropriate to serve visitors with dining utensils that do not meet the required standard. These minor occurrences do not comply with food safety measures and undermine the status of the restaurant.
Reference
King, H. (2013). Food safety management. New York, NY: Springer.