As convenience store operators adjust to a new normal, they are faced with the challenge of re-evaluating their foodservice programs and updating food production areas to assure an all-new level of food safety and sanitation.

When it comes to foodservice equipment, upgrades may well be called for, and new policies and procedures for everything from beverage machines to condiment dispensers and roller grills to HVAC systems may need to be established and implemented.

“First of all, thank God, so far there has not been any relationship between food and COVID,” said Jeff Nelken, a food safety/HACCP consultant based in Woodland Hills, California. That said, foodservice is still an area that requires the utmost attention.

“The world as we know it has changed post-COVID,” said Vinay Panday, director of marketing for Alliance Environmental Group LLC, an environmental remediation company based in Azusa, California. “Businesses have a far greater responsibility to ensure that customers and employees are safe on business premises. COVID-19 has placed a much-needed emphasis on ensuring cleanliness in every form.”

Indeed, in the wake of COVID-19, “consumer safety concerns are at the forefront of the minds of retailers and shoppers alike,” suggested Sean Burke, associate partner and retail industry lead for Clarkston Consulting in Durham, North Carolina. “These concerns are escalated in higher-traffic, lower-square-footage stores that have tougher challenges with social distancing.”

C-store operators looking to update foodservice production to meet the challenges of COVID-19 are in a tough spot, according to David Crawford, president, Green Valley Grocery/Crawford Oil/Crawford Coin in Las Vegas. “It is a difficult question to answer. Every city has different rules. There will be new permanent local, state and federal rules that impact how we build and lay out stores and how we operate existing locations in regard to sanitation, packaging and self-serve versus employee-served items. Retailers are in a difficult position right now; many of us need to invest in our foodservice programs, and at the same time we don’t know what the regulatory landscape will look like in the months ahead.”

That said, operators are looking at a variety of ways and means to assure food safety.

Many of us need to invest in our foodservice programs, and at the same time we don’t know what the regulatory landscape will look like in the months ahead.

Self-Service

Kaylyn Brunskole, technical manager of food equipment at Ann Arbor, Michigan-based NSF International, said she has seen an increase in requests for certification for touchless operations equipment or add-ons to existing equipment to render it touchless—for example, valves for beverage dispensers—as well as automated equipment and the addition of shields to products.

“A store can do everything right, but if a customer sees another customer breaking social norms or not following protocol, they are unlikely to make a purchase themselves,” Burke pointed out. He calls moving to staff-serve the likeliest way to ensure that customers feel that the integrity of protocols is being followed.

“It all comes down to the person handling the food,” said Amer Hawatmeh, a veteran convenience store and restaurant operator who recently shuttered his long-standing operations in St. Louis, Missouri, in favor of relocating to California. “They have to be clean, healthy and aware of all cross-contamination rules and must get food to 145 degrees to kick all possible germs.”

The other concern, Hawatmeh noted, is that the self-serve aspect is endangered by “people who are not hygienically smart … This may eliminate the self-serve operations.” Kitchens will become “more closed off or limited for the safety of the product delivered to customers. Pass-through boxes and sealed containers will become the norm.” With pass-through service, foodservice staff place the container onto a shelf on one side, and the customer takes it from the other
to eliminate direct contact.

Open-style condiment bins with flip-up lids for toppings such as diced onions, pickle relish, jalapeños and the like should also be positioned for staff-service only, said John Barja, president of Foodesign Associates in Charlotte, North Carolina. Self-service condiments should be limited to individually sealed packets.   

Nelken said that to maximize contactless foodservice, companies have recently introduced condiment dispensers that pour automatically when a container is placed beneath a spout, much as hand-sanitizing units do. Their success is, of course, contingent on the thickness of the condiments being dispensed. “If your salsa has huge chunks the size of your fingernail it’s not going to go through the dispenser,” he said.

Digital-ordering kiosks and/or ordering via smartphone should be considered to reduce face-to-face contact between staff and customers, said Barja. “Grab-and-go self-service hot selections should be limited to individually packaged items using an enclosed heated case for items such as breakfast biscuit sandwiches, taquitos, dogs or pizza-type items.”

The idea is taking hold. According to Patsy Varpula, pricebook manager for the nine-store Fabulous Freddy’s Car Wash c-store chain in Las Vegas, “Nothing is self-service in our stores at this time. Where we were able to, we moved to a full-service approach of exposed items such as roller grills or anything open to the air, where a cashier would have to scrub down and serve the customer.”

Roller Grills

In particular, roller grills should no longer have open access for customer self-service. Instead, they should be placed behind a tall-profile vertical protector view panel with staff access from the rear for filling customer orders, experts said.

From an equipment perspective, Burke expects roller-grill usage to resume once the country emerges from the pandemic. Sneeze guards, common in the past, should be considered a must at this stage.

Nelken agreed. “There are several companies that very inexpensively have begun using side guards. I would like to protect the roller grill a little bit better with COVID-19.” Many operators have introduced sealable food bags.

Beverage Stations

Operators should consider the use of fully automated coffee-brewing dispenser machines that include top-mounted bean hoppers. These systems, said Barja, are set up to brew individual cups and eliminate a large portion of direct contact with equipment by staff as opposed to standard brewing in portable containers or pots.

“As important as soda is, you need to figure out whether you are going to pour it for your customer or request from your soda supplier a dispensing unit that can be contactless,” said food safety consultant Nelken. “You need to start looking at all the equipment that you are using in your operations, and what are the newest available resources for not touching the button, because that’s the hardest thing.”

Sanitizing and Maintenance

From both consumer and operator perspectives, said Alliance Environmental’s Panday, it is “all about the possible contamination of spaces and surfaces within the convenience store.” He calls it vital that c-store owners properly clean, sanitize, disinfect and decontaminate equipment properly to ensure the safety of their customers and employees.

Such policies and procedures, Panday said, are “over and above the hygienic preparation of food and extend to the actual kitchen systems.” For instance, it is “imperative that kitchen exhaust hoods are cleaned and sanitized. There should be a proper need for fire-stopping services, as well. We have now deduced that the virus can remain on surfaces for a number of days, and therefore all the necessary sanitizing is required. But once more, this is a specialized service and should be conducted by a company that has the proper licensed and trained technicians and crews.”

Additionally, frequent handwashing and convenient access to sinks by all staff members who handle food products and open containers are critical.

Equipment Upgrades

“If your current foodservice operation cannot be adapted to meet safety suggestions, then now is a good time to consider a major design and equipment upgrade,” advised Barja. “Take proper planning steps that target your individual store’s needs, based on the specific range of food-and-beverage menu items you want to offer your customers and how to handle them in the safest manner.” Operators should consider using equipment with surfaces that feature anti-microbial finishes.

While upgrades obviously impact the bottom line, the expense may prove “miniscule compared to the lost income if the guidelines are not put into place,” Burke noted. If the expense cannot be absorbed into the standard cost of business, c-stores should be transparent with customers when it comes to pricing. “Rather than simply increasing the cost of a food item, note that a temporary service charge is in place to pay for increased sanitation measures. Customers will be much more likely to accept price increases if they know it’s something they are benefiting from.”

Interestingly, NSF’s Brunskole concludes, “existing evidence suggests foodservice establishments do not need to change current cleaning and sanitizing processes for certified equipment to mitigate the potential risk of COVID-19. Continuing to adhere to the food equipment manufacturer’s recommended cleaning instructions is essential for reducing potential contamination.”

Whatever the specifics, c-stores need at least to acknowledge that, in the age of COVID-19, business as usual when it comes to their foodservice program is no longer sufficient.