Key Findings on Restaurant Practices

Key findings

Research from several Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) projects has led to key takeaways on restaurant food safety:

• Restaurants with kitchen managers certified in food safety are less likely to have foodborne illness outbreaks, have better food safety practices, have better ratings and fewer critical violations on their inspections (read our summaries).
• Posting health department restaurant inspection scores at restaurants and using letter grades for restaurant inspection results are linked with fewer foodborne outbreaks and could lead to safer restaurants (read the summary).
• Managers can support workers staying home when sick by taking a proactive role in deciding whether sick workers should work (read the summary).
• Retail delis can address gaps in food safety practices by encouraging kitchen manager certification and having written slicer cleaning policies (read the summary).

Learn more on specific topics through our individual summaries below.

Food safety culture, sick workers, hand hygiene, and kitchen manager certification

Food Safety Culture

Learn what contributes to a strong food safety culture in restaurants.

Restaurants Can Manage Sick Workers to Help Prevent Outbreaks

Learn what restaurant managers can do when their food staff are sick.

Food Worker Handwashing in Restaurants

Learn what restaurants can do to improve handwashing practices in food workers.

Kitchen Manager Certification

Explore our findings and resources on certified kitchen managers.

Other practices

Retail Delis

Learn how retail delis can address gaps in food safety practices.

Date Marking and Restaurant Practices

Learn what food safety programs can do to improve date marking practices in restaurants.

Food Cooling

Learn what restaurants and food programs can do to improve food cooling practices in restaurants.

Safe Food Preparation

Learn what makes it easier or harder for restaurant workers do seven safe food-handling practices.

Restaurant Workers

Learn what restaurant managers and food-safety programs can do to improve food prep practices.

Clostridium perfringens Root Causes

Learn how to avoid the root causes of Clostridium perfringens outbreaks.

Foods linked to outbreaks

Chicken Preparation

Learn what restaurant managers and food safety programs can do to improve how they handle chicken.

Egg Preparation

Learn what food programs and restaurants can do to reduce the spread of germs linked to eggs.

Leafy Vegetables

Learn what food safety programs and restaurants can do to ensure leafy vegetables are safe to eat.

Beef Grinding Records

Learn what restaurants and food safety programs can do to keep adequate records of beef grinding.

Ground Beef Preparation

Learn what restaurants and food safety programs can do to improve ground beef practices.

Ground Beef Handling

Learn how restaurants and food programs can help prevent outbreaks linked to raw ground beef.

Tomato Handling

Learn about safe food practices that could prevent outbreaks linked to tomatoes.

Other findings

Food Code Adoption

Learn about key Food Code provisions that may help lower rates of foodborne norovirus outbreaks.

Inspection Practices and Outbreak Rates

Learn how restaurant inspection practices are linked with foodborne outbreaks.

Food Allergy Reactions

Learn what restaurants can do to prevent allergic reactions in their restaurant.

Beliefs About Restaurant Meals

Explore our findings on the role of restaurant customers in preventing foodborne illness.