When you work in a restaurant or bar you'll regularly handle ice.
That's why its important for bartenders and restaurant staff to use proper ice safety. If you don't handle ice appropriately you could be putting your customers at risk. Unfortunately handling ice the right way and keeping it clean is often overlooked by bars and restaurants.
Most people might not think of ice as a food item. But the reality is that it needs to be treated with just as much care as any other kind of food your customers ingest. Ice can become contaminated with germs and bacteria just like other foods.
As a bartender or waitstaff the number one thing you should never do is use a glass to scoop ice from a bin.
There are a few reasons why you should never do this but the number one reason is that the glass can actually break.
If the glass ends up breaking in the ice bin then you'll have to deal with melting the ice down, and wiping the entire bin clean, making sure there are no pieces of ice hiding in the corners of the bin. This can be very time consuming and would be a great hassle if the restaurant were busy.
Despite how bad that would be that's still not the main reason you should never use a glass as a scoop.
The worse thing that could happen is if the glass your scooping with chips leaving a small piece of glass within the ice. Its very easy for you to not notice this and continue on about your day.
The real problem arises when you go to scoop another glass of ice and that small piece of glass ends up in someones drink. It doesn't take a doctor to determine that swallowing a piece of glass is not good for your health. That's not even considering the potential lawsuit your restaurant or bar could have.
This can all be avoided simply use a proper ice scoop.
Here is another pro tip mostly concerning bartenders. If you end up breaking a glass on the counter above or around an ice bin its best to assume the bin is contaminated with glass.
We've all dropped a glass on the kitchen floor at some point. So you know how far glass can travel when shattered. If you have any doubt in your mind that glass got into the ice, do the responsible thing and clean the bin out.
It's important to also treat ice like other forms of food. Most ice scoops have a knuckle guard that helps to keep your hand away from the ice. As a waiter or bartender your hands are dirty from handling money, touching plates, and other surfaces. Therefore you should never handle ice with your bare hands.
Follow these few tips and you'll increase the safety of your guests. Remember don't be lazy. If the ice bin needs to be melted down then do it. When in doubt, always clean the bin.
Finally, if you want more information on ice safety or bartending check out http://bartendingschool101.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cameron_C_Goss
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