Keeping the kitchen area clean and sanitary is not just the responsibility of a few staff, but everyone should be held accountable for it, from the General Manager of the establishment to the Head Chef to the dishwasher. Even the smallest breach in hygiene standards can cause a huge problem for the business, and hence strict adherence to the highest standards of cleanliness is vital.

Here are some general rules followed by kitchens all over the world, in order to ensure a clean and sanitary environment for preparing food.

Personal hygiene – One of the most important aspects of preventing contamination of food is to ensure that all staff handling any type of food adhere to strict personal hygiene rules. Since all types of microorganisms can be transferred from a person’s hands to the food they are preparing, it is imperative that staff members know the importance of always keeping their hands clean. For this, the management should provide soap or handwash in several areas of the kitchen, so that regular handwashing is promoted among the staff, such as before starting work, before performing a specific task, after ending a particular task, when switching stations, if they have touched any part of their body or any outside surface etc. After washing, hands should be dried using a clean towel, which is changed regularly. Hair can also contain microorganisms that can contaminate food, and hence highly absorbent chef hats should be provided for all staff, to prevent both sweat and hair from falling into food.

Clothing – Many contaminants can be transferred to food through the clothes a person wears, which is why when it comes to kitchen staff, standard uniforms are provided for them to change into when working, and no one is allowed to work wearing their normal outside clothes. Things such as dirt, dust, germs, fur and so much more can get attached to clothing when they are outside and then transfer into the food they are preparing. Hence kitchen staff should be provided with chef coats, pants, cook shirts, aprons, as well as chef hats in order to prevent contamination of food.

Food storage – Food should be stored in a proper manner in clearly marked containers, and it should be remembered that different types of food should be stored separately. For example, raw meat and cooked meat should never be stored together, and the same goes for raw meats and vegetables. Staff should ensure that containers have air tight lids, and that all food items stored should have the date purchased clearly marked on them. Food should be stored under specific temperatures suitable for each different item.

Defrosting – Sudden temperature changes can cause bacteria to form on food, and hence when defrosting food, it should be done in refrigerated cabinets so that the process is gradual.

Cross contamination – It is important to have clearly marked separate utensils for different types of food in order to prevent cross contamination, such as chopping boards, knives etc. One way this can be easily done in by color coding the equipment in the kitchen, so that everyone is aware of which item should be used with what types of food.

Freeze food – It is important that every commercial kitchen has blast chillers and blast freezers which are able to freeze food items rapidly ensuring that no bacteria form on them, especially soon after cooking. The ‘cook and chill’ method is used in many kitchens around the world.

Serving food – Once the food is prepared it should not be touched by hands since the food can get contaminated. Proper utensils should be used to plate the food and servers and waiters should be trained to serve food without touching it.

Cleaning – The entire kitchen and all equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized (especially oven and sinks) both before start of day and at end of day to ensure proper standards of hygiene. In addition, a weekly deep clean of the kitchen should be carried out by staff, and a deep cleaning of the kitchen by professional cleaners should be done at least once every six months.

Washing dishes – Washing dishes should be done in a proper manner, and an essential piece of equipment for any commercial kitchen is a dishwasher. Using the right detergents and cleaning fluids is vital to ensure there is no transfer of bacteria from food scraps.

As mentioned earlier, it is every staff member’s responsibility to ensure a clean and hygienic environment for food preparation if they want to see success in their business, and hence proper training should be given to all staff with regard to standards of cleanliness and hygiene, as well as cleaning methods and techniques. Simply providing staff with chef coats and chef hats and other uniforms is not enough to ensure a high standard of cleanliness, but every other aspect of it should be fulfilled as well. This is what creates an exceptional dining experience for customers.

However, there are certain times of the year and definitely certain times of the day that are much busier for kitchen staff than other times. These of course can vary depending on where you are located and what type of restaurant you run, but in general there are specific periods when most restaurants and hotels get really busy with an overflow of customers. Usually in the hospitality industry and specifically the restaurant business, the period from April to August and November to January 1st are some of the busiest periods of the year.

The months from April to August are usually busy because this is when the weather is fabulous and everyone wants to be out and about. In addition, these are months that many tourists visit as well, hence the crowds can become larger, making restaurants busy throughout the day. For those establishments located in other areas, the busy months may vary, for example those located near a ski resort will be busy during the winter months and not so much during other months of the year. The fact is that whether it is peak season or not, a restaurant can’t close down just because they don’t have busy days. As a solution for this many restaurants create seasonal menus, which are far different and contain different types of food fit for each season, and also try to earn revenue by creating take out or delivery during the slower periods.

Some of the slower days in the restaurant business are during Thanksgiving and Christmas, since most people have their celebrations centered around family and home. Although we may usually think that Christmas is a busy time of the year, it is not, because people prepare their festive feasts at home to invite close family and friends.

If you consider the weekly routine for a restaurant, some of the slowest days are Mondays and Tuesdays, and this is one of the reasons that most restaurants who are open throughout the weekend are usually closed on Mondays. Some of the busiest days of the week are Friday through Sunday, which is when people tend to go out after a hard week of work or study to enjoy and relax. These are the days when the kitchen staff roll up the sleeves of their cook shirts, put on their chef shoes and prepare for long days and nights.

Of course, around the world, there are certain days that are very busy for restaurants and hotels, since these festivities call for a night out of celebration with either family or friends. These are the days when it is almost impossible to get a restaurant reservation at the last minute, and bookings are made well in advance. Usually, restaurants also create special menus during these times to cater to the specific festivity and to tempt in the customers into their establishment. Competition is high of course during these times, with everyone trying to best the other in terms of what they offer, the ambiance, food choices etc. These are:

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day – Many people bring in their parents on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day making these days relatively busier than the normal work day for restaurant.
Valentine’s Day – Valentine’s Day is another one of those holidays where you won’t be able to get a table at a restaurant if you decided to do something at the last moment. With so many people making special arrangements for their loved ones and partners, restaurants are bombarded with special requests. The businesses themselves go out of their way to arrange something extra special for their patrons such as roses and chocolates for the ladies, and even make available special expensive wines and champagnes on this day.
Easter – Easter brunch is a very popular meal out for families and can be considered a busy time for most restaurants and hotels.
New Year’s Eve – This must be the busiest day of the year for any restaurant or hotel, and people make bookings for tables weeks before the date. Many establishments have special parties organized for which they sell tickets at rates that are usually higher than normal, and kitchen staff can expect to be working all day and night during this holiday.

Whatever the holiday it is, you can bet that no one from the kitchen department will be celebrating it with their loved ones, as they understand their responsibilities to their job mean making such sacrifices. Unlike in other vocations Chefs and kitchen staff need to be available during these busy holidays to make your day and my day so much more enjoyable and better. They will simply put on their cook shirts and shoes, their chef coats and hats and get on with their job.

No matter how small or big your business is, you know the importance and value of adequately designed packaging boxes. Custom packaging boxes can make a significant impact on the customers. Customers of all ages and genders will be attracted to these designs. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling products online or offline; to impress your customers, your product should be professionally packed. The packaging boxes are the first thing customers see when they buy products.

The best packaging will keep your products safe and secure while travelling long distances. Your potential customers will not pay for the attractive retail boxes that are available. If the product is not attractive to them, they won’t be interested in it again. They may not even consider the product next time, regardless of its benefits.

Use full-colour folding boxes to present a stunning image of your products. You should also pack the products in these boxes. You can have the boxes printed in full colour with your company logo, images of the products, specifications, and a description of the product. This will increase the number of potential customers. You will receive more customers because of this. These die-cut boxes feature particular partitions which allow you to keep your product intact.

A wide range of boxes is available, making it simple to pack various products. You can fold the boxes and store them in the store. You can find many packaging boxes online, and you can easily order them. Numerous online printing companies provide high-quality custom packaging boxes printing. While there are many printing companies out there, only a few offer the best quality printing services.

Business people demand packaging that is strong and rigid. But they forget to consider the design aspect of these boxes. The boxes will look more attractive the better the design.

Pattern Designs

A business that specializes in pattern design can reap incredible benefits. These patterns are easy to create but still have an appealing appeal. You can add stunning striping to the background of your tool packaging. Design the background of the tool packaging with brilliant striping and creative colour schemes.

Add to the Product

The packaging design should complement the product. Begin with the most straightforward designs like plain, unbranded packaging. A few additional features can be added, such as an object placed in the corner. Transparent packaging options make it easy to show your product correctly and encourage customers to try it. Your designs should be magical to help you sell your product better.

Marble Texture

The simple design of packaging boxes is not what you want. So why not surprise others with a trendy marble texture? You can have them in any size, colour or size. However, the most important thing about it is the cast-spelling look.

Be Bright

Brightening up your business is sometimes the best thing. Bright colours are guaranteed to have a catchy and captivating appeal. You can design the entire product in bright colours or use the bright alphabet.

Playful:

A unique and fascinating way to design packaging boxes is by playing with them. How does it work? It’s easy! Playfulness is vital when designing packaging as it allows the product to shine in its entirety. For example, the mango packaging boxes for berries should have the mango colour on the packaging. For such products, use bright colours!

Be bold

Customers also love bold design. It’s the use of multiple colours in packaging boxes to create patterns. This gives packagings a unique and appealing look.

Break the mould

If your business includes a product that many businesses are selling, you need to go bold. To create stunning packaging boxes, you must be innovative. Not following the flow will not result in satisfactory outcomes.

Stylization is a good idea:

For a refreshing, new look on your boxes, you can incorporate it into them. It is worth considering changing the design of your packaging boxes. You can transform your illustrations or graphics into reality. For example, you can create amazing graphics of your head and hair. By drawing hair floating over the background, you can create the concept. The pattern may not initially give an idea of the concept, but a closer look at the packaging will show the concept’s depth.

Wabs Print and Packaging is an online printing business in the UK that offers the highest quality printing services at affordable rates to all its customers. Online printing at low prices, free shipping and proofreading, and the best quality are just a few of the many benefits we offer. Visit our website to find out the best online die cutting boxes printing. It doesn’t matter what product you sell; beautiful retail boxes can make all the difference in your customers choosing your products.

Not that your reports aren’t important; in fact, they’re vital to your organisation’s financial health. The point we want to make is that you don’t need to stress about presenting a report. If you’re a new treasurer or feeling a touch nervous, you can note your key points on paper first. But as you grow in confidence and knowledge, you’ll find it easy to glance over your accounts and deliver succinct, yet relevant, information off the cuff.

Of course, using accounting software helps. The right software automatically generates the figures you need in the Treasurer’s Report format, so you don’t have to write up any financial statements. What’s more, these figures stand alone, so you can simply hand them to your secretary to file when you’ve finished presenting your report. However, if you don’t have appropriate software, you will need to prepare financial statements based on the information in this article.

Whatever accounting method you use, the structure of the ideal treasurer’s report is the same:

You start with a summary
Continue with an overview of your organisation’s income and expenses
Expand the overview by providing more detailed financial information for specific activities and areas of operation
Finish with housekeeping matters.
Summary

Kick-off with a brief summary of your accounts, including important matters for the committee’s attention and your opinion on your current financial position. These might include:

• Unexpected income or expenses

• Overdue money owed to your organisation

• Financial issues, such as poor cashflow or relying too much on credit and savings

• Updates on legal requirements, such as GST.

Category Report

Also known as a Cash Report, this is a summary of the income and expenses from your main bank account year to date. Start with the total amount earned and spent. Then break this down by category, comparing each one against your budget (the right software automatically generates this comparison for you).

For example, your organisation’s income might have been $3,500 for the month. Of this, $3,000 came from grants, which you anticipated in your budget. The other $500 came from events, which you had budgeted to earn twice as much.

Meanwhile, your expenses for the month might have been $1,150. Of this $150 was spent on the events, which was $100 less than expected. At $1,000, your operating expenses were your main cost, which matches your budget forecast.

Other Bank Accounts

If your organisation has other bank accounts, you need to briefly outline balances and transactions. For example, your savings account might contain $416 and have earned $3 interest this month. If there is a lot of activity in those accounts they may also require a detailed report.

Petty Cash

Note how much petty cash was spent for the month and on which major items. This is a good time to have the other signatories in your committee sign a cash cheque for the total amount of the receipts presented to top your petty cash float back up to the original amount.

Events

This is where you go into more detail about individual events – whether for fundraising or other purposes – drawing attention to both income and expenses. As with your Category Report, you need to compare these figures against your budget (again, the right treasurer software automatically generates this comparison for you). For instance, a sausage sizzle may have earned $200 and cost $50, which was in keeping with the amount you budgeted. In contrast, your annual Christmas party might have earned nothing, but cost $1,000. This loss is not necessarily a bad thing – you may have planned for the party to be a purely social event and anticipated a loss.

Member Fees

As with above, this is your opportunity to go into more detail about income gained from member fees. If relevant, note which groups, or sections, of your organisation this came from. For example, your junior members may have contributed $2,000, or 60%, of your membership fees for the month.

It is also helpful to provide information on:

• The percentage of expected fees that have been received so far this year

• Overdue fees received from previous years

• Fees received in advance for next year.

Cheques for Ratification

Draw your committee’s attention to cheques that need to be ratified. Essentially, this is about confirming that money has been spent on goods or services that your committee has previously approved.

And That’s It!

Assuming it’s fine, your committee will approve your report by moving and seconding that it be accepted as accurate. If there’s a problem, they’ll probably accept it on the condition you make any required amendments and resubmit your financial statements for filing.

Wait… a Few More Tips

Hold the committee’s attention – aim for a report that is comprehensive, yet concise and easy-to-understand.
Avoid using jargon – your committee members may not have strong accounting skills, so deliver your report in simple, everyday language.
Add real value to your report by analysing the financial information you have at hand. For example, how could trends or patterns be applied to future strategic planning? And what can you learn from an unsuccessful fundraising activity?
Always sign and date your report.
Circulate copies of your report well before your monthly meeting to give committee members time to read and digest the information.