Having a crisis management team, as well as making sure your staff is properly trained to deal with crises (such as foodborne illness outbreaks, natural disasters, bomb threats, etc.) is imperative when running a restaurant. Working with the media (including social media) and communicating with customers will help you keep their trust. Switching vendors may also be necessary, in the event that they mislabeled ingredients or provided tainted products that resulted in someone becoming sick. In the event that you encounter a crisis that is not food-related, it is still very important to remain calm, and thank any of the responders who come to help. Inform people of the steps you are taking to fix the problem, and debrief with the crisis management team once the crisis is over. There may be ways you can improve your plans for the future.

Key Takeaways:

• A crisis isn’t necessarily a foodborne illness. Think about other unexpected crises that could impact your restaurant, staff and guests.
• The overwhelming majority of your employees are going to panic and forget everything they’ve ever been told, which is normal.
• Stay calm. While it’s upsetting (and terrifying!) to be in a crisis situation, remain calm as you work to recover from the incident.

“Form a crisis management team. Assess which roles need to be part of the crisis management team and what the responsibilities need to be. Document roles and responsibilities.”

Read more: http://www.restaurantnews.com/would-your-team-know-how-to-handle-a-crisis/