Pizza Today - June 2018 - 18

Man on the Street
SCOTT WIENER

RICK DAUGHERTY

How Clean is Clean?
Customers look for certain 'tells' when it comes to cleanliness

A

wave of fear washed over me as
I read the headline of a friend's
Facebook post: "It's a Sad Day
for New York City Pizza." One of New
York City's most famous pizzerias had
been shuttered by the Department of
Health. Since the DOH started rating
cleanliness of pizzerias with a system
of letter grades in 2015, every one of
the city's 24,000 restaurants has been
on edge. Points are deducted for every
infraction and the grade is proportionally
adjusted. New Yorkers have a high tolerance for grit in our restaurants (we call it
"character"), but that doesn't mean we'll
tolerate unsanitary conditions.
One huge area of vulnerability is your
bathroom. This is the cul-de-sac of your
pizzeria. It's the oft forgotten room that,
although a necessity, is clearly not your
1 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / J U N E 2 0 1 8

primary concern. One of the cleanest
bathrooms of any pizzeria in NYC
belongs to Lombardi's, where they
inspect every bathroom hourly. There's
even a clipboard hanging on every door
with the time and initials indicating each
inspection. Not only does this keep the
room in order, it tells your customers
you're on top of things. I've walked into
many a pizzeria bathroom only to find
water on the walls and wads of paper
towel on the floor. Without consistent
inspection, you're asking for trouble. It
also helps in keeping the bathroom well
stocked with necessities. The last thing
your customer wants to do is report that
you're out of toilet paper. And if I notice
you're out of soap, I'll assume that none
of your employees have been washing their hands properly. Do not leave

anything to the imagination of your
customers, as it will only lead to
speculation that paints your pizzeria
in a negative way.
If your pizzeria is designed with
an open kitchen, you should assume
that every customer has eyes on
your cooks. Now that everybody is
documenting the entirety of their
restaurant visit on social media,
there's extra focus on the pizzamaking process. One of my favorite
pizzerias even has a livestream of
their kitchen blasted onto screens
in every dining room so customers
can get a good view. It's a great idea
until one of the pizza makers forgets
they're on camera and gets caught
licking their finger or tending to
an itch they shouldn't be scratching. Exposing your process for the
benefit of the customer also means
being mindful of new vulnerabilities.
Perhaps the most subversive
challenger to pizzeria cleanliness is
one that's so dangerous because it's
hidden in plain sight. Those shakers
of cheese, oregano, chili flakes, salt
and pepper you have on your tables
and at your counter are potential
germ bombs. So many hands grab
these things and they're often the
last thing I touch because I pick up
my slice. And let's not forget about
what's inside the shakers. I'd love to
see dates marked on the sides to
indicate when they've last been
refilled. Otherwise, I'm just assuming
they're as old and stale as they look.
Even though the Department of
Health has the power to fine you or
shut down your business, the most
critical eyes belong to your customers. Be mindful of what they can see
and how they might interpret it. ■
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's
Pizza Tours in New York City and
SliceOutHunger.org.
http://www.SliceOutHunger.org http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - June 2018
