Are you new to the restaurant industry? Or, would you consider yourself a seasoned veteran? Regardless, if you’re looking for a way to streamline your processes or make a worthwhile investment to ensure your restaurant’s success, this post is for you. Here’s what you need to know about food prep labeling.
What is food prep labeling?
Food prep labeling is a necessary process to ensure your kitchen is using only the freshest, finest ingredients. If you want to give your customers a meal they’ll keep coming back for, this process should begin once you receive your items from your truck. Not later. By labeling food items at a few different stages in their life cycle — when they arrive, when they’re being prepped, and when they’re finally put into production — makes sure that they’re safe to use and consume.
Why is food prep labeling important?
Food prep labeling is important to not only ensure the satisfaction of your customers, but also the safety of your customers and even employees. Bacteria show no mercy for negligence. Foodborne illnesses can easily infect taste-testers in the kitchen as well as patrons of your most-coveted tables. Unsafe food handling or using spoiled food items can result in a loss of customers at the very least. Of course, it can also result in your restaurant being shut down temporarily or permanently.
Is there a wrong way to do it?
So, you may be thinking — putting any old labels on food prep items for your employees to estimate “Use By” dates should work, shouldn’t it? You may get lucky, but it’s likely that this method won’t work for very long. Having your kitchen staff take the time to handwrite labels — with probably tired, messy hands for tens if not hundreds of items, day after day would quickly get old. Not to mention, thinking off the top of your head when “x” vegetables will spoil may not always be the most accurate. You also have to take into account proper recording, proper pen use, proper label use, and legible handwriting. There’s a lot that could go wrong. However, there is an easy, reliable way to integrate clear food prep labels into your processes.
How can I make food prep labeling easier (and more affordable)?
Since handwritten, off-the-top-of-your-head Use By dates aren’t the best way to go about labeling, what is? We won’t make you wait for the answer much longer. What you need is a food prep labeling system like PrepWizard. PrepWizard provides labels that work at each stage of each food item’s journey, from pallets on the truck to your patron’s plates.
So, how does an automated food prep labeling system like PrepWizard work?
- You’ll select food items and quantity
- Print as many labels as you desire with one click
- Apply the dissolvable or low adhesive labels
Is it really that easy? Yes, and it gets better. PrepWizard’s system and convenient mobile app is compatible with iPhone, Androids, and tablets and can be used by as many employees at once as you’d like. That way, everyone’s on the same page and can print labels wirelessly from anywhere in your restaurant. Furthermore, Use By dates are automatically calculated, taking the guesswork out of freshness. And, PrepWizard’s system automatically populates and loads your restaurant’s shelf-life data and inventory.
Do you think using a label printer sounds expensive or wasteful? After all, isn’t that a lot of ink? Nope. PrepWizard’s label printer is thermal, which means labels are printed via heat, not messy, expensive ink. Bulk printing gets the job done quickly, with the flexibility of printing for different life cycles: unopened, prepped, or in-production. We’re also confident that you’ll earn ROI on the PrepWizard system within six months of purchase or less.
If the above didn’t quite cover everything you wanted to know about food prep labeling, you can learn more about PrepWizard by enjoying a risk-free trial or checking out our FAQ page.
