Protect your rep!

Despite the old adage that ‘all publicity is good publicity’, being the talk of the town is not always beneficial.

Last month saw ‘culinary alchemist’ Heston Blumenthal’s three-star Michelin restaurant, The Fat Duck, re-open after an unceremonious two-and-a-half week closure. The globally-renowned restaurant in Berkshire, UK, shut up shop when 400 customers reported falling ill after dining there.

Despite continuing tests, the UK’s Health Protection Agency has allowed the restaurant to re-open as nothing harmful had been found so far — although according to a report in London’s The Times newspaper, Blumenthal has withdrawn shellfish from the menu as a precaution.

The celebrity chef also admitted the closure had been “very, very costly”, potentially losing him business worth £300,000 (US $426,252).

Regardless of whether these claims turn out to be true or false, the impact of such associations can be very damaging. The only answer is to be as vigilant as possible regarding food health and hygiene measures —  particularly tough in this region, as bacteria thrive in hot and humid environments.

Speaking to Caterer Middle East at Dubai’s recent International Food Safety Conference, Dr J Stan Bailey, bioMérieux director of scientific affairs for industry and president of the International Association for Food Protection, said the answer was prevention rather than cure.

“Being from America, which is a far more litigious society than others, one quickly recognises that safety measures are simply the cost of doing business,” he explained.

“If you’re running a restaurant and have a food-related outbreak, then that manager who was cutting costs the day before can’t spend enough money the next day to try and get that reputation back. The best way to avoid that is to do it right to start with. We need to spread that message: food safety is an intrinsic part of business.”

Sage advice — especially for outlets that have not yet embraced recognised food safety regulations. Remember, mud sticks: even a whiff of scandal can prove detrimental to a restaurant.

On the other hand, on the day it reopened, The Fat Duck was fully booked for the lunchtime service; it seems that public admiration is also a factor in your restaurant’s reputation.

So keep your customers close and your hygiene guidelines closer: both will prove invaluable to future success.