the inherent risk category and how the supplier scored on other
audits, they may receive an on-site inspection from Buffalo Wild
Wings. Any concerns during the on-site review lead to an action
plan with a limited time frame by which the supplier can rectify
the problems.
In order to protect the brand and its customers, a Food
Safety Steering Committee, which includes Buffalo Wild Wings
executives from a diverse cross-section of the business, meets
quarterly to review food safety key risk indicators and a variety of
food safety topics impacting the business.
In 2016, the Food Safety Steering Committee will finalize
and implement a corporate framework for management of food
safety throughout the enterprise including Emerging Brands
and International. The framework includes 16 different enterprise standards for food safety related to supplier approval, pest
control, cleaning and sanitation and more.
Pay attention to — and follow up on —
customer comments
During the Jack in the Box outbreaks in 1993, a store-level
employee faxed a suggestion to grill burger patties longer, as the
store had received multiple negative customer comments that
patties were not cooked through.
Buffalo Wild Wings’ food safety team monitors all guest
comments for trends that may indicate a larger issue. This is
why it’s important that restaurants escalate calls they receive to
the home office according to Danielle Lundorff, director of food
safety.
“It’s important to treat each customer complaint of illness
seriously, because showing empathy and concern for the
customers can help head off problems before they start. Further,
if a restaurant receives more than one complaint of illness in a
month, it could indicate a trend or the start of a bigger issue,”
Lundorff said.
Taking these calls seriously, documenting and monitoring
them for trends and then sharing them with corporate food
safety can help prevent or reduce what could become a very
costly outbreak.
Ensure team members come to work healthy
A recent study of food service workers published in the
“Journal of Food Protection”indicated 12 percent of respondents have come to work sick. This is particularly alarming to
food safety experts, as the pathogens that most commonly cause
foodborne illness outbreaks are easily spread from sick workers
to customers via food. Even if a sick worker does not touch the
food directly, some pathogens can live on work surfaces where
food is prepared.
Lundorff emphasizes that franchise restaurants must have
an illness policy so that managers and team members understand
their responsibility for staying out of work if they are sick and
reporting certain illnesses. Workers who are ill are a significant
risk of spreading germs through contact with food.
“Two of the recent outbreaks at Chipotle restaurants were
traced to employees who came to work sick,”she said, adding
that the challenge of balancing employees’ need to earn a
paycheck while encouraging sick staff to stay home is delicate.
Continued on page 22
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SCORE | 2016 Issue 1
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