Guyana is known for its diverse cuisines which resulted from the blends of six ethnicities: their culture and traditions. Over the years, these culinary skills have been transformed into business opportunities with the opening of restaurants across the country, which also contributes significantly to the thriving tourism industry.
As 21 restaurants join in the celebration of Guyana Restaurant Week this year, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) would like to highlight the importance of quality and customer satisfaction in this line of business. In 2003, the GNBS adopted the ‘Code of Practice for Quality Management in the Restaurant Services’, a National Standard aimed at upgrading the restaurant services offered in Guyana.
According to the standard, a restaurant establishment is any commercial food service in which food is handled, prepared and served to customers, such that it is either consumed inside or outside of the facility. The document specifies managerial requirements necessary to ensure the efficient running of such facilities, along with measures to achieve high productivity, customer satisfaction, and competitive service in the local and international markets.
Notably, the standard does not apply to institutional food services, such as school feeding programmes, food vans or vendors, or any situation where food is sold from carts or vehicles on the roadside.
Some of the requirements of the standard include material resources such as culinary equipment & stores, computerized systems, operational and technical documentation. The document also outlines operational needs for example bars, seating accommodations, transportation for goods and information systems.
One of the key points noted in the document is the requirement for “constant, open and honest” communication. It noted that Service delivery personnel shall be skilled in effective communication so that they can successfully serve their customers. These persons include waiters, bartenders, busboys, hosts and hostesses and cashiers among others. Further, there shall be no hindrances to communication between or among team members.
The document covers advertising where honesty is encouraged as it states, “all advertisements shall be truthful.” It also addresses contract review, design and development of new products and many other areas which are key to the efficient management of a business.
In addition, as citizens visit various restaurants, many have complained of standards dropping in some of the establishments they previously frequented. However, the document pointed out that consistency in services rendered to customers is of vital importance throughout the organization. It requires implementing restaurants to formulate a Quality Policy with the company’s commitment to quality, consideration of customers’ needs, assurance of efficient service and the integration of environmentally friendly practices among others.
The GNBS is urging Restauranteurs to purchase a copy of the ‘Code of Practice for Quality Management in the Restaurant Services’ and implement the National Standard to increase customer satisfaction to benefit your business. The scope and price of the Standard can be accessed on the GNBS’ Standards Portal (https://gnbsguy.com/)
In addition, persons who require technical assistance or training to implement the Standard, can contact our Business Development Department at email bss@gnbsgy.org where assistance can be provided to ensure the smooth implementation of the document. The department also offers training relating to Food Safety and other Standards which can be used to improve the overall success of the restaurant industry.
For further information, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065 or 219-0064 or WhatsApp 692-GNBS (4627).
