SERIOUS SAFETY THREAT TO STAFF AND GUEST

Dispose of damaged or broken crockery

• Serving meals in broken crockery not only looks cheap but poses a serious safety
threat to staff and guests. Chips and broken pieces can find their way into food,
cracks harbour lethal food poisoning bacteria and cracked or chipped crockery
does nothing for the presentation and appeal of a guest’s meal.
• All damaged or broken crockery must be taken out of circulation immediately and
thrown away because if it is used again, guests will not be happy if food has been
served on a cracked plate or drinks have been served in a cracked or chipped glass
and may complain.
• Wrap damaged items in paper towel or newspaper and place it in a box that
jagged or sharp edges cannot penetrate. This is called a ‘sharp-safe’ container.
Dispose of it in a waste bin. Report the breakage to immediate supervisor.
• Record all breakages in the breakages book and report them to your Supervisor
immediately.
• If damaged items are not reported to the supervisor, the stock items can run out and
there may not be enough stock for service of meals and beverages to guests. This also helps with stock control

Cutlery

Cutlery is the silverware that guest use to eat with. Servers may also use cutlery to serve
food items to guest in silver service or on a buffet. Cutlery consists of various types of
knives, forks, spoons and serving utensils. Different types are shown on the next page.
Following are the types of cutlery used in a restaurant

Polishing, handling and storing of cutlery

Dirty or unpolished cutlery creates a poor impression of a restaurant and its hygiene and
service standards.
Here are some steps and methods to clean and polish cutlery:
• Use a clean metal container half full with boiling water. Add a few drops of white
vinegar or lemon juice to the water.

• Hold cutlery by the handle, submerge into the water solution for at least 10
seconds, then remove and polish vigorously with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.
• If water stains have not been removed, repeat the above process.
• When polishing is complete, take care not to contaminate polished cutlery by
touching and leaving fingerprints on it.

• Sort various sizes into appropriate clean cutlery containers, or use a clean tray. If
there is no cutlery drawer, cover with a clean cloth or wrap in cling wrap to keep
cutlery clean and sterile.