INTRODUCTION
In the words of Warren Buffett, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and fives minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Practicing proper food safety, including restaurant sanitation, is essential to keeping your reputation intact (and preventing illnesses).
Take Chipotle’s four–yes four–incidents of food safety. From 2015 to now, the fast-food restaurant has been hit with crises ranging from multiple foodborne illnesses to E. coli. Due to these crises, Chipotle has taken a major hit not only in its stock (down 23 percent in 2017), but customers have a lingering fear of eating there. Some of the chain’s struggles can be blamed on social media, with some instances of misinformation about the crises.
Here is how to handle a social media crisis related to food safety and rebuild your restaurant’s reputation.
GIVE STAFF COURSE OF ACTION
When a food safety crisis arises, your restaurant needs to avoid creating hysteria and correct any misinformation. For example, for QSR and traditional sit-down restaurants, give your employees talking points to tell customers if/when they ask. This can easily be done through a POS communications tool or during staff meetings. Regardless of the type of restaurant, for consistency and brand image, create a talking point that refers customers to the manager. For example “We appreciate your concern. Let me have you speak with our manager who can provide more information about the issue.” Make sure your staff stays positive and solutions-focused, not defensive and sucked into toxic, negative message spirals. Also, if your staff members get into uncomfortable situations, tell them to defer to you.
Employees should refrain from making comments on their own social media accounts, keeping in mind that information related to the crisis could lead to confusion and undermine efforts to protect the public health as well as the restaurant’s credibility. Lastly, remember to stay calm and demonstrate the efforts that are being implemented to prevent similar situations from occurring.
PROVIDE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
If your restaurant has received a negative food safety allegation, it’s important to handle the issue quickly and immediately. Have pre-written statements to post on social media and take down all other scheduled posts (e.g. upcoming specials). Here’s an example: “We are aware of the recent food safety allegations and are looking into the situation. As our investigation continues, we will you posted with our results as the health and safety of our customers is our top goal.” On Facebook and Twitter, pin the post to the top.
When responding on social media, show empathy to the victim(s). Do NOT be defensive or elusive–it will only make things much, much worse. For example, after an Applebee’s employee posted inappropriate things about a customer, the restaurant reacted defensively, making hostile comments that only added to the mess.
Also, it might seem like the “easy way out,” but be careful of casting blame on your suppliers. In 1993, Jack in the Box undercooked its burgers, causing three infant deaths. After sitting for a week without talking to any media, the burger chain not only pointed its finger at the state health officials but also its meat supplier. You’d hate to ruin your relationship with distributors, so get your facts straight prior to casting blame. Instead, to ease the public’s mind, post about where your supplier’s ingredients are sourced from, or how the ingredients are processed and handled.
It’s also important to be accessible to the media and be as transparent as possible, meaning that you should explain what you know and don’t know and document what steps you’re taking. For example, if it’s a food-related illness accusation, share the investigation of the situation with all the facts and how you’re going to be communicating moving forward internally and externally. For other crises, give the media appropriate contacts for the situation–for example, the health department.