Have you ever wondered how Pierce dining hall washes its dishes and utensils? As the only dining hall on campus, many students rely on Pierce as a source for their meals. Maintaining high levels of cleanliness in the dining hall improves the collective well-being of everyone on campus. It’s not uncommon for students to receive dirty dishes every now and then. Sometimes dishes will have residue left over from their previous use, or maybe you pick up a dish and you wonder why it is wet. So the question remains: how does this process work and are the dishes really clean?
As the school year goes on it is essential to maintain good levels of sanitation. The world has globally seen a spike in new COVID-19 cases due to a new variant. Preventing the spread of germs in the dining hall will help reduce the risk of catching illnesses and will help prevent illnesses from spreading on campus.
I spoke with Madison Goslin, Senior Marketing Specialist with Stevens Dining, about how this whole process actually works. At Stevens Dining, all members of the management team undergo yearly certification in food safety practices. All Stevens dining locations are Servsafe certified.
The process is standardized and unsurprising: first, a dirty dish is received from the conveyor belt. Next, the dish is rinsed before it is loaded into the dishwasher. The dishwasher is a Hobart dishwasher, which is commonly used in the food industry. Then, the dishes are left out to air dry. This process is done for any plate, bowl, cup, glass, and utensils.
For pots and pans, this process is a little different. These items are too big to fit into the dishwasher and are washed in the sink. Pierce uses a three-sink method to clean these items. The pots and pans are placed in the first sink which is filled with water and detergent at a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the items are placed in sink two to be rinsed. Finally, the items are placed into sink three which is also filled with water and sanitizer, and then left out to air dry. It is important to note that these items are air dried and not dried by hand. This means that the items are never wiped dry. The reason behind this is that it helps maintain sanitation as a dirty towel could contaminate a clean pot or pan. The sinks are checked every hour to maintain sanitation.
Stevens dining employees also log records of cleaning making sure that standards are followed each time. Machine chemical levels and temperatures are checked hourly to make sure that they are kept at optimal levels.
In conclusion, Stevens Dining remains committed to making sure that its operation meets the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. These procedures are in place to ensure that Stevens Dining maintains cleanliness over long periods of time. If you have any questions or remaining concerns regarding sanitary practices at Pierce Dining Hall or any of the dining establishments on campus, contact dining@stevens.edu.
