Protecting customers in your restaurant or hotel is not only a good business practice, but is a moral obligation of business ownership. Unfortunately, there are many potential dangers to consider when operating a business.

Accidents, spoilage, criminals, and contamination just name a few things restaurants and hotel owners must account for. The dangers present in your establishment can be specific to your region, weather, etc. Nevertheless, the first step in keeping your customers safe is to identify those dangers.

This is especially important in the hospitality and food service industries. Businesses in these industries work with patrons looking for rest, relaxation, and/or nourishment. The peace of mind from knowing they are safe within your premises is a huge part of fulfilling that service.

So, what puts your guests at risk? In the hospitality and food industries, guests are at risk for crime, disease, and accidents. Here are some tips to reinforce safety and protection in your facility:

Protect Restaurant and Hotel Guests From Crime

No matter how safe a city is, there is always a degree of risk of crime. It can be something as petty as theft and pickpocketing or outright robbery. Protect your guests inside and out:

• Install CCTVs. There is no understating the value of having surveillance cameras in your facility. Consult with a security expert on which areas within and outside of your business could best use them. Additionally, make sure to place signs that indicate your business is monitored by high-definition CCTVs. Nothing deters a would-be criminal more than the fear of being caught!
• Protective Landscaping. Bushes, shrubs, or foliage that is too tall, thick, or close to a restaurant is a crime magnet. The visual shelter offered by unkempt landscaping provides the perfect cover needed to ambush customers as they leave your establishment. If criminals don’t have anywhere to stalk and hide, they’ll be less likely to take the risk.

Protect Restaurant and Hotel Guests from Germs

The restaurant industry greatly suffered as a consequence of the pandemic. As much as we’d like to put it in the rear-view, it’s still very much a threat. As a result, it’s important to show your diners and hotel guests that your facility is invested in their safety and protection:

• Wear face masks at all times. We know how important mask wearing is to prevent the spread of airborne illness. Face masks help protect both your guests and your employees at all times. 
• Identify and secure high-touch areas. Eliminate high-touch areas and objects whenever possible (i.e. menus), and secure everything else that you can’t get on without. Disinfect doorknobs and light switches or place easily accessible sprays and disinfecting wipes for these high-touch areas. That way your guests have the opportunity to protect themselves and clean high-touch areas before touching them.
• Disinfect all surfaces frequently. Employ stricter cleaning and disinfecting schedules and leave no surface uncleaned.
• Change linens after each use. Bed and bath linens, as well as table linens need to be cleaned thoroughly and strictly after each use to prevent cross-contamination.
• Sterilize shared utensils. Double your sterilizing efforts for cutlery and other utensils and improve handling procedures to reduce hand-to-hand contact.
• Improve ventilation. Proper ventilation plays an important role in preventing the spread of diseases within your facility. Consult with an air quality and ventilation expert to get the best solutions.
• Have handwashing and hand-sanitizing stations available. Encourage proper hand hygiene and frequent hand cleaning by providing both guests and employees easy access to hand cleaning products.

Accidents

Accidents involving stairs, floors, and skin burns account for some of the most common hotel and restaurant industry accidents.

• Keep up with your fire safety compliance. Small fires are just as damaging and life threatening as big fires. Keep your business and your guests safe by staying on top of your fire safety standards.
• Keep all areas well lit. Poor lighting can cause trip and fall accidents. Make sure all areas in your facility are well lit at all times to prevent these types of accidents.
• Keep a good floor flow. Aside from tripping and falling, burns are a common issue in restaurants when there’s poor traffic flow. Keep walkways clear and always have enough room to walk to prevent these types of accidents.
• Secure your floors’ safety. Keep your floors and mats dry, clean, and ready to provide enough traction and help prevent slips and falls.

Secure Your Business with Braun Linen!

A safe and secure business equates to happy and safe guests who are more than likely to return to your business. Invest in protecting your guests! Braun Linen can help. Contact us at (800) 272-8657.