In every restaurant, there’s one ingredient that cannot be overlooked: clean dishes and utensils. You should have Warewashing Best Practices for Your Restaurant in place. Dirty tableware can negatively impact customer perception of your food quality and your entire operation. Worse, improper warewashing procedures can expose your customers to dangerous foodborne illnesses and put your business at risk of a food safety crisis.
Training your dish crew to follow proper warewashing procedures—whether manual or machine-based—is time well spent, requiring continuous monitoring and ongoing reinforcement.
Essential Practices for Machine Washing
Commercial dish machines are highly efficient, but they require strict monitoring and maintenance to ensure effective cleaning and sanitization.
Scrape Food First: Before loading, food residue must be scraped, rinsed, or soaked off items.
Load Properly: Avoid overlapping or overcrowding. This prevents water from reaching all surfaces, leading to incomplete cleaning.
Clean Wash Arms and Rinse Jets: Wash arms and rinse jets can become blocked or clogged with food debris, sediment, or mineral scale. They should be cleaned frequently to ensure proper water coverage.
Monitor Temperature and Chemicals: Regularly verify that your machine’s temperature and chemical concentrations are correct. If using a chemical sanitizer, follow the manufacturer’s directions for concentration.
Mastering the 5 Steps of Manual Washing
If your establishment relies on a three-compartment sink for manual warewashing, the process must follow these five steps precisely:
Scrape/Pre-soak: Remove all excess food from dishes and utensils.
Wash: Use the first sink with warm water and detergent.
Rinse: Use the second sink to rinse away all detergent and also food residue.
Sanitize: Use the third sink for chemical or hot water sanitization.
Chemical Sanitizing: If sanitizing with an EPA-registered chemical (like quats), FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY for both concentration and immersion time.
Hot Water Sanitizing: The water must be 171°F or hotter. Dishes should be submerged for at least 30 seconds.
Air Dry: Do not use a towel. Also, allow all items to air dry completely before stacking or storage.
Final Tip: Don’t Forget the Equipment!
Remember that food safety doesn’t end with dishes and utensils. You must also wash, rinse, and sanitize appliances and other working equipment at least every 4 hours. A diligent dish crew that follows these best practices will help keep your operation running efficiently and, most importantly, keep your customers safe.