Menu extensions can be exciting for restaurateurs because of the sales boost they generate. But most come with new ingredients and handling requirements that could trigger unique food safety risks if not well managed.
Such a threat was intentionally avoided at Domino's Pizza, prior to launching its Oven Baked Subs line in August. According to franchisee Dave Melton, two of the chain's core pieces of equipment, conveyor ovens and heated delivery bags, eliminate many food safety concerns by providing bacteria-bashing doses of BTUs. The rest are minimized by pre-established food handling practices executed on the chain's production line.
Domino's four new sandwiches (Philly cheese steak, chicken bacon ranch, chicken Parm, and Italian) utilize many ingredients already in use for pizza toppings housed on the refrigerated makeline. So accommodating just a few additional pieces safely, Melton said, wasn't a challenge.
"Operationally, it fits right in with what we're already trained to do," said Melton, who operates four units in Manhattan. "Everything is on the same cycle as our pizzas, from the way they're made up to how they're baked."
Except for one small addition: Where Domino's pizza dough is placed directly on a circular screen that separates it from the conveyor oven belt, its sandwiches are placed on a sheet of corrugated silicone paper and then onto the screen. The paper not only keeps the sandwich bread from burning while baking, it minimizes condensation when boxed and held for delivery. Condensation, when cool enough, can become a bacterial breeding ground.
"Our Heat Wave bags really help prevent that," Melton said, referring to the chain's delivery bags, whose solid center cores are electrically heated. The internally generated heat helps maintain a drier, safer climate during delivery to a customer. "Right after the sandwich is baked, it's boxed and put in the bag. It doesn't cool off."
Since Domino's pizzas and sandwiches are baked at 450 F, Melton said any tool used to assemble, pick-up cut or move either can be used on both since neither item is uncooked or cold at the point of packaging.
"After it's assembled, it's not touched again," said Melton. "The next time it's handled by somebody, it's the customer."