Cafe Palillos

After having a new sheriff in town things have started to change for the better. As always, change encounters resistance and appreciation alike. Several restaurants raised a lot of hue and cry about how they were being treated by the Punjab Food Authority, but most owners/managers accepted the fines imposed by the government and promised to be more careful in the future. We all knew that cleanliness and hygiene were not a priority for most of the cafes and restaurants in our city, but none of us could have had a clue that things were so bad. Finally, someone with authority has realized their responsibility towards the general public and has also forced us to be more vigilant from now on.

Most of the restaurants started mending their ways after the PFA started to expose the real face of this multi-billion rupee industry to the public. Ideally, they should never have let these issues arise, but we should thank the PFA for awakening them from their slumber. Palillos however, came up with an ‘open kitchen’ event to let their visitors know that they take the issue of kitchen cleanliness very seriously. It was initially supposed to be a 3 day event but then the management decided to make it a permanent part of their operations. Now anyone can request the management to let them visit their kitchen and their request will be obliged. It is very encouraging to know that their kitchen is always open for inspection to the general public, as it means that they always keep it in a very good condition.

For our visit, I was accompanied by a promising chef who also happens to have an educational background in food technology and Kluchit.com’s photography team. Since the management was informed about our visit in advance, they had asked one of their consultants to take us around the place and answer all our questions. After the introduction and a lengthy conversation about all things food, we were finally taken to the kitchen. We were all handed hair nets and masks, and were told to wear them. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed when I saw the kitchen. A place with such a lively atmosphere should have had a much more appealing kitchen. Their staff was very friendly and they were willing to answer all our questions.

There is always room for improvement and yes, Palillos sure has some way to go. The issue of cleanliness always arises when it comes to wide-spaced kitchens. There were several factors that led us to believe that the kitchen was not properly planned.

Recently, McDonalds came up with an ‘Open Door’ policy as far as their kitchen was concerned. All you have to do is book a tour to visit their kitchen and they will show you how they put the ‘Happiness’ in their Meals. The main reason why McDonalds can do it and most of the local establishments cannot, are the Standard Operating Procedures of this industry. You simply cannot ask people to visit your kitchen when the job is not done properly or is still in process. First things first, the SOPs should always be defined and implemented. Simply pasting them on the wall does not get the job done.

An ‘Open Kitchen’ invite instills confidence in the consumers and spreads awareness about what is happening where the food is being prepared. Others should also follow the trend set by Café Palillos and allow their customers to visit their kitchens. For now, the management is seeking professional guidance from the right people in the industry and they are sure to undergo a few changes. Team Kluchit will surely visit them again in the future and will try to judge their improvements.