NRAI launches SOPs and safety guidelines to 'COVID-proof' restaurants
NRAI has partnered with Releski, a Bengaluru-based skill-tech company, to set SOPs pertaining to social distancing, reducing touch points, receiving and handling of goods, and general health sanctity of employees.
Apex industry body National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) on Thursday said it had partnered with Bengaluru based skill-tech firm Releski to create a comprehensive set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for 'COVID-proofing' restaurants and deal with the coronavirus crisis more effectively.
The association said the restaurant industry had been severely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown.
Among the challenges that association foresees in building procedures and earning consumer confidence are issues such as social distancing, reducing touch points, receiving and handling of goods, and general health sanctity of employees, the NRAI said in a statement.
These SOPs cover all these issues and seek to provide consumers with a feeling of safety in restaurants, it added.
The procedures include all safety guidelines issued thus far by bodies such as the WHO, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the NRAI said.
Training employees will be a very critical factor in implementation of the guidelines. The association has partnered with Releski to create easy to understand and implement training modules; these are available at a very nominal price to members.
"One thing is certain. Hygiene and safety will be key differentiators in post-pandemic restaurant operations. With various agencies of the government releasing their own version of SOPs, we felt it was important that NRAI releases its own set of comprehensive guidelines to its members, which encompasses all critical guidelines issued by everyone," NRAI President Anurag Katriar said.
NRAI's endeavour is to ensure that its restaurant members bounce back quickly. This is only possible if "we are able to win back consumer confidence in quick time. This SOP, combined with visual training aids, is an important tool in achieving this objective," he added.
"We are super thrilled to partner with NRAI in standardising COVID-proof guidelines through our platform," Releski Founder Pravesh Pandey said.
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)