Every
organizer (corporate or otherwise) is concerned about Health and
Hygiene issues (or should be) for their employees, guests or delegates
attending the event or function.
We
at Corporate Chocolate Fountains take health and hygiene issues
VERY seriously and are highly concerened about the safety of YOU
and YOUR guests / delegates.
Safety?
Yes,
safety.
We
DO NOT use or advocate the current common-place practice of placing
dips on a round Perspex illuminated base around the Chocolate Fountain.
We have nothing against or problems with companies using an illuminated
Perspex base - just with the placing of the dips around the Chocolate
Fountain itself (which the Perspex base is designed for!)
Why?
-
Dips
placed around the fountain encourage people to stand 270-360
degrees around the fountain.
-
A
round table can accommodate between 15 to 25 (or more) people
standing around the Chocolate Fountain and all dipping at the
same time.
-
With
this number of people, it is extremely difficult for any attendant
to man-manage the fountain.
-
The
temptation for guests to 'double dip' is hard to discourage
and cannot easily be seen by the Chocolate Fountain attendant.
Double dipping is a situation where a guest standing at the
fountain edge picks up a skewer, selects and skewers an item
to dip, places the dip into the fountain, withdraws the chocolate
covered dip, eats the dip THEN selects another dip using the
same skewer and once again places it back into the fountain.
The
potential for contracting or passing on a contagious saliva disease
is there - as a guest has placed a skewer in his/her mouth and then
back into the fountain. Saliva will be present on the used skewer
and can thus potentially infect the Chocolate Fountain.
There
are fifteen (15) diseases contagious from saliva:
- Common
Cold
- Flu
- Upper
Respiratory Infection
- Meningitis
- Bacterial
meningitis
- Mononucleosis
- Epstein-Barr
virus
- Cold
sores
- Cytomegalovirus
- Molluscum
contagiosum
- Hepatitis
B
- Chronic
Hepatitis B
- Polio
Given
any function where there are say, 100 guests in attendance, what
is the percentage chance that one guest will have one of the disease
on the above list? One can argue either way that the chances are
slim or there is a great threat of catching, say a cold sore, a
cold or something greater?
We
at Corporate Chocolate Fountains err on the safe side and will not
entertain the thought of double dipping and have put measures into
place to avoid this. This is purely to safe guard the health of
YOU and YOUR guests.
How?
-
We will ALWAYS use a separate dips table.
On most occassions the dips table is provided by ourselves.
We are a complete turn-key solutions company providing EVERYTHING
we need. We will use a venues' table at the express wish of
the organizer or the venue.
- The
dips table is placed at a minimum distance of a pace or two
away from the Chocolate Fountain table.
- People
will file pass the dips table, selecting an item they wish to
dip and then walk that pace or two to the fountain itself.
- With
this method, no more than 3-4 people are dipping into the fountain
at any one time.
We find this solution more elegant, more sophisticated and gives
guest more 'elbow room' and space to enjoy the rich Belgian
chocolate we use. It also avoids pushing and jostling that can
occur when 15-25 bodies are around the fountain all vying for
dips and a space in the fountain. Having anything from 1-4 people
dipping into the fountain also avoids accidental 'flicking'
of chocolate.
-
Our Chocolate Fountain attendents are standing by the fountain
at ALL times.
We NEVER leave the fountain unattended.
One attended will stand between the dips table and the fountain
table visually checking eveything that is going on.
-
In front of the Chocolate Fountain (by the attendent) is a waste
bin. This is for used skewers (napkins, chocolate Fountain plates
etc). Once a guest has dipped, we ask them to deposit their spent
skewer into the bin.
- By
the attendent standing so close to the fountain and the dips table,
they can monitor people selecting their dips and 'catch' anyone
using the same skewer twice (if they have taken their dipped item
back to, for example their table to eat and are coming back for
a second dip). This is a simplied explanation, there is obviously
'more to it' than this. For those concerned, we can explain more
fully our preventative measures.
- The
dips table, with the measures outlined above will never
'see' chocolate from the fountain on it. It will be 'clean'.
Visually,
dips placed around the Chocolate Fountain (table) look spectacular.
However, this wonderful sight generally last only for a short period.
Flowing
chocolate + people = a potential messy situation.
People
will and do drip over the dips placed in front of the Chocolate
Fountain. Excluding all mentioned above regarding to health and
hygiene issues, the dips in their bowls can get rather unsightly
and unappetizing with Chocolate dripped over them. Once again Corporate
Chocolate Fountains are very much into all things 'looking good'
from the start of the event right up to the last moments. People
only eat from a clean environment and judge the 'caterers' by their
standards of cleanliness. We are VERY pleased to say our Corporate
clients keep asking us to return over and over again.
and
finally...
We
all tend to agree Health and Hygiene issues can "go a little
to far at times". When "we" were young, we played
in the dirt and it never did us much harm. Is today any different
from the past?
When
all is said and done, as an Organizer which would you prefer; a
company that looked after your health and tried its best to avoid
any possible contamination (real or imagined) or 'let it to chance'
and let every one 'do a vicar or Dibley' or even place
a finger or extremity into the fountain?
Who's
to say one of your guests has just been to the toilet, not washed
his/her hands and is now putting their fingers into the Chocolate
Fountain? Would you rather us be strict about Health and hygiene
or not?
The
acid test: How many Chocolate Fountain websites even mention the
words "Health and Hygiene" let alone explain WHY and HOW
it is important - no matter how gory or unpleasent it might be to
explain in such graphic detail?
"Absolutely
fabulous. Would book you again. Hygiene couldn't be faulted at
all. Thank you so much"
Christine
Marlow
Warwick NHS Hospital Annual Ball
...
His Professional approach extended to him being very particular
with regard to hygiene and we and the many delegates fully appreciated
and respected this. We would not hesitate in hiring Chris and
his first class service again."
Doreen
Black
Standard Life
National Housing Association Annual Exhibition
March 2006
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