One way to cut costs during trying economic times is to buy local. Not only will you know where your food is coming from, but it’s generally fresher, delivered faster and more affordable. Plus, it supports the local economy.

It is no secret that the state of the current economy is less than ideal, and this has everybody – including foodservice operators – scrambling to find ways to save money. Certainly no restaurant wants to compromise safety or food quality in the quest to reduce costs, so many are looking for creative ways to save a few bucks. The following tips will not only save your establishment money, but also improve the overall food safety focus of your establishment.

Online Training
Did you know you could train everyone at your establishment in food safety for under $10 a person? Gone are the days of expensive workbooks and VHS tapes, as well as overpriced classroom-type seminars. 

With the Internet Age, food safety educators are now offering online food safety education courses that are more interactive and engaging, which allow for a more effective means of training.

Your employees can complete general food safety training on any computer with an Internet connection – all at a per-person cost less than that of a large pizza. This proactive method of training will allow your establishment to maintain a high level of responsibility when it comes to food safety, which in the end will benefit your customers and your bottom line.

Use Hand Sanitizers
While at first glance these hand cleaning products might seem more expensive than soap, they do not require rinsing or drying, so you will reduce your expenditure for water and paper towels as a result of using hand sanitizers in your establishment. As long as hands aren’t excessively dirty, alcohol-based sanitizers will kill most harmful bacteria that may be on the hands, so these cleansers can be a great substitute for soap and water. 

In addition, using these sanitizers can cut down handwashing time by around 30 to 45 seconds, which gives your employees more time to complete work-related tasks. While it may not seem like much, if your employees are washing their hands as often as they should, that 30 to 45 seconds can add up and become five to 10 extra minutes of productivity per shift. It should also be noted that since hand sanitizers are a much better on-the-go handwashing solution, your employees are more likely to wash their hands while they are busy.

Close the Walk-In
One of the most common performance mistakes I see when executing a food safety audit of foodservice establishments is how lazy people can be when it comes to making sure refrigeration units are kept closed as often as possible. Your establishment spends a lot of money on energy – certainly more than it used to – in order keep products refrigerated, so why spend extra money getting your fridges and freezers back to temperature because a line cook left the door open too long? It’s fairly simple: When someone walks into the walk-in, they should completely close the door behind them immediately.

The same applies for when they exit. Not only will this save money on the energy bill, but your perishables will also stay fresh longer and your food spoilage/waste will remain lower.

Go Local
Do you know exactly where your fruits and vegetables are coming from? How about what it costs to get them to you? There is probably a farm in your area that will sell them to you at a lower price and deliver them to you within two days of being picked. They’ll be fresher, too.  

Too many restaurants are relying on the huge conglomerate distributors when it comes to meat and produce because it seems easier to do one-stop shopping when buying food wholesale.

What these operators are missing out on is fresher, tastier and safer food – at lower prices. Smaller food distributors, such as Cherry Capital Foods in northwest Michigan, are solely concentrating on local produce in an effort to boost the local economy and offer restaurants fresher products.

“It can cost as much as $6,000 to get a load of produce across the country on a truck, where it used to be around $2,000 just a few years ago, and restaurants are the ones that end up paying for it,” says Eric Hahn, proprietor of Cherry Capital Foods. "Buying local produce is not only cheaper, but the products you get are fresher and taste better.”

In addition, supporting the local economy is advantageous to your establishment because the more reinvested wealth people have in your area, the more likely they are to dine out. There are advantages to going local when it comes to food safety as well, namely that smaller local farms are more likely to concentrate more on the quality and safety of their products. For example, a smaller local slaughterhouse is less likely to let meat sit around  after being butchered than a giant facility that ships meat all over the country.

Buy Whole Meats
There are many foodservice establishments that buy their steaks pre-cut, their burgers pre-pattied, their chicken already cut into parts, their fish already filleted and their pork chops already chopped. It costs money for meat processing plants to cut and individually package meat products and the cost of those processes gets passed along to the restaurant owner. 

It is usually more cost-effective to buy meats uncut and have your staff cut it in-house. For example, a single 12-ounce ribeye steak might cost your establishment $7, while an entire 96-ounce prime rib might cost $50. You would be saving $6, or 12 percent, by purchasing the whole prime rib and cutting it down in-house. Not only can it be a waste of money to buy pre-cut meats, but it is also more risky than buying meat products whole or uncut. This is because there is more surface space on the individual cuts where bacteria can grow. It is also recommended that you keep your meat products whole until the day you plan to serve them. By keeping your meat products uncut until you need to prepare them, you are increasing the amount of time where they are safe to serve and consume.

These are just a few ways in which you can reduce your overall costs while maintaining – even improving – your adherence to safe food handling procedures. If you can find ways for your operation to save a little here and there, you might still maintain a high profit margin even if your revenues show no increase. I encourage you to inspect your establishment, looking for ways in which you can reduce some type of cost while maintaining – often raising – your food safety standards. You know what they say about a penny saved.

Lee Biars is the director of industry relations for Safe Food Solutions. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.safefoodsolutions.com.