Each time I visit a restaurant the first thing that excites me is to check out the menu card to see the wide range of dishes on offer.
Most of the time I would often flip back and forth through the menu card before placing my order, but little did I know that a restaurant menu card could introduce a dangerous demon along with the tasty food that is being served.
Yes, you are reading it right. According to recent research done by Timesof India, restaurant menu cardsare 100 times dirtier than a toilet seat covers and is the breeding ground of dangerous drug-resistant bacteria that could survive up to two days.
Restaurant menu cards are handled by 100’s of people daily, resulting in a higher risk of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli accumulating in the menu cards, leading to health issues ranging from diarrhea, fever, nausea and even hepatitis in some cases.
This may be due to the combination of different factors in a restaurant that includes food spillage on the menu, longer life cycle and unhygienic handling practices of the menu card by customers who tend to use them without washing and cleaning their hands properly adding to the problem.
Upon reaching out to some of our customers, we could verify the same as restaurants refresh and alter their menu periodically once in six months, but the menu cards are sadly the same until they are rendered unusable.
Restauranteurs spent a tremendous amount of time, money and resources in making a fantastic menu card, and it is very critical that it is properly handled and preserved.
Some of the best practices for maintaining a healthy and tidy menu card include:
- Technology can solve any problem very well, and in this case too, with mobile phone usage and high-speed Internet access increasing every other day restaurants can use customizable mobile order-taking applications, that allows customers to log in to your restaurant app on their mobile phones and place orders directly.
- Another solution to digitizing user experience in restaurants around the globe is to use a QR code reader, which allows customers to place orders directly from their smartphones by merely scanning the QR code displayed on their tables in restaurants, which in turn, reveals the restaurant menu on their mobile phones.
- If you feel that digital menu cards would be a costly investment, consider menu cards that are waterproof.
- Waterproof menu cards are tear-resistant, extremely durable, withstands heavy handling and can be easily cleaned, thereby reducing the chances of bacteria growth.
- Improve the health hygiene level of employees who handle the menu cards regularly.
- As much as it is important to update the menu cards once in a while, it is equally important to change the menu cards on a periodic basis, the older the menu cards greater the chances of bacteria growth.
- Last but not least, handle the menu cards with care, menu cards deserve some caring and attention too.
In a competitive and ever-growing restaurant space, where even after only one negative experience, 51 percent of customers will never do business with the restaurant again. So it is high time that you offer your customers a top-class dining experience with a cleaner and attractive menu card.
This article would have definitely given a clear picture of why it is very essential to maintain restaurant menu cards effectively. Share your views below.
