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From start to finish, food goes through many steps before it is served to customers. Depending on whether it is served hot or cold, there are even more steps during the preparation process. Along with the many day-to-day concerns competing for attention from foodservice operators, however, keeping food safe and avoiding costly health code violations rise to the top.Improper food temperature is con … read more

Attracting sufficient labor continues to be a challenge for all areas of the food and beverage industry. Convenience store operators historically have struggled with a shortage of workers and high employee turnover. Since the pandemic, however, the U.S. labor shortage for the c-store sector could be the worst ever.For operators, it is difficult to focus on customer service, food availability, and … read more

Along with the many day-to-day concerns competing for attention from restaurant operators, keeping pace with new technology—and keeping food safe and avoiding costly health code violations—rise to the top.A major challenge for operators is efficiently and reliably monitoring food from refrigerator to table. For example, monitoring food temperatures can be tedious and sometimes ineffective as staff … read more

Struggling with a shortage of workers and high employee turnover is nothing new to c-store operators, who have been dealing with labor shortages for years. Since the pandemic, however, the U.S. labor shortage for the c-store sector could be the worst ever.This shortage of workers makes it is even harder for operators to focus on streamlining worker tasks, while still ensuring food availability and … read more

Remember salad bars?For many consumers, wandering through the grocery store, helping themselves at self-serve food bars, and tasting samples of food products may seem like ‘the good old days.’ With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most supermarkets closed their self-serve stations or significantly restricted their use due to safety concerns for both customers and workers.In fact, many states pu … read more

Adding a wider array of fresh foods and prepared meals to meet consumer demand was already a hot trend before the onset of COVID-19.This pivot in operations makes c-stores more accessible for shoppers looking for convenient, prepared foods, who also want to avoid larger grocery stores. However, the added service delivery options make it more difficult for operators to handle their daily responsibi … read more

Food-safety challenges have increased, but new solutions are emerging as well.With the third World Food Safety Day approaching June 7, following a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the entire global food chain, now may be a good time for supermarket operators to take a comprehensive look at the state of their food-safety operations.Foodborne disease causes an estimated 600 million illn … read more

Food waste has become a significant problem in the U.S.An enormous amount of food is being thrown away every day, and it doesn’t just affect the bottom line: food that is not eaten ends up in landfills, where it rots and produces greenhouse gasses. The food service industry has long focused on preventing wasteful product losses—losses that cost them billions of dollars each year. In particular, gr … read more

Finding, hiring, and retaining employees who are willing to work flexible hours day or night as well as weekends is an ongoing struggle.As operators face added pressures to ensure staff productivity, work quality, and efficient scheduling, it is more important than ever to properly manage existing staff to save time in replacing and training new employees. Personnel issues can lead operators to fo … read more

Since the onset of COVID-19, ensuring the safety of both customers and employees has become the top priority for retail foodservice operators.While new protocols for protecting staff and customers, maintaining products that meet customers’ changing buying habits and keeping pace with new technology all compete for attention, one issue remains a priority just as it did pre-pandemic: temperature mon … read more