Foodservice Employees'Awareness and Performance in Sanitation and Customers' Satisfaction with Sanitation at Large-Sized Restaurants

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the foodservice employees' awareness and performance in sanitation and customers' satisfaction with sanitation in large sized restaurants in Korea. Sanitation inspections were carried out in 200 large Korean, Western, Chinese, and Japanese style restaurants, and in buffet-style restaurants in Daegu and Gyeongbuk province. Foodservice employees' awareness of sanitation and customers' satisfaction with sanitation were investigated by interviewing 317 foodservice employees and 205 customers. Results of the inspection of restaurants showed low performance in food handling, employees' hygiene (hygienic) practices, and in cleaning food processing equipment. Scores of the foodservice employees' awareness in Chinese style restaurants were significantly lower than scores of workers in western restaurants. Foodservice employees had low awareness of sanitation procedures used for food storage and cleaning of equipment in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese style restaurants. Foodservice employees had low awareness of equipment cleaning, inspection and food distribution in western style restaurants; and of equipment cleaning and food handling in buffet-style restaurants. Foodservice employees at all restaurants had the lowest performance in terms of HACCP. This shows that HACCP application and recording have not yet been properly carried out at restaurants in Korea. Foodservice employees had low performance scores in food handling, vegetable disinfection and disinfection after hand washing. Research on customers' satisfaction with sanitation revealed a low rating of kitchens and foodservice employees at all restaurants. Customers had low satisfaction with servers and kitchen environments in Korean style restaurants; with food, tableware, utensils and servers in western style restaurants; with food and kitchen environments in Chinese style restaurants; with servers, tableware, and utensils in Japanese style restaurants; and with kitchen environments and servers in buffetstyle restaurants. Therefore, cleanliness of kitchen facilities and equipment, and hygienic food handling procedures by workers in restaurants are urgently needed.