Breakage Reduction Audit Form

Customer Place Setting

Table Set Up

Clearing of Tables

Storing

Dishroom Layout

Inspection

Pre-Scrapping

Washing

Decoy System
Racking

Date
Establishment
Outlet Name
Time/Meal
Conducted by

1. Interview
1. How is breakage currently monitored?
Are breakage costs currently over or
under budget?
2. Can you share with us the last 24
months of breakage costs and sales by
outlet so we can chart the trends?
3. Is any of your china or glassware
imported? If so, how much
4. Any plans to change from imported to
domestic suppliers?
5. May we have a copy of the Operating
Equipment Par Stocks?
6. What are the most expensive items most
frequently broken?
7. What items are broken in the greatest
quantity?
8. Has breakage increased or decreased in
the last two years?
9. What is the turnover rate (number of
times a table is used during a meal
period) for each outlet?

Yes

2. INSPECTION OF TABLEWARE
1. Is the design of the tableware too
delicate for conditions to which it will be
exposed?
2. Do the dishes stack together easily?
3. Is the finish or glaze durable?
4. Is the pattern faded?
5. Is the chinaware chip resistant?
6. Has any of the silverware been
chemically burned?
7. Are the glasses or chinaware filmed?
8. Are the glasses etched or scratched?
9. Are glasses used at banquets repacked in
boxes after washing?

Yes

No

No

Comments

Comments

3. Customer Place Setting

Yes

1. Is the table setting attractive, but

uncluttered?
2. Is more than one pattern of ware on the
table?
3. Are the coffee/tea cup handles easy to
hold?
4. Any chipped ware on the table?
5. Is the tableware filmed, stained or
spotted?
6. Is the glassware filmed, stained or
spotted?
7. Coffee or Tea cup stains?

No

Comments/
Recommendations

4. Bussing or Clearing of Tables

Yes

1. Are glasses removed from the table one

at a time to avoid scratching?
2. If waiters transport the dishes to the
dishroom by hand are they stacked
securely?
3. If bus boxes are used, are they in good
condition, and is the ware organized in
such a way that the dishes and glasses
will remain reasonably safe during
transport?
4. If trays are used, are the dishes used to
create a center of gravity in the middle?
5. Are glasses segregated from rest of the
ware?
6. Are the trays or boxes overloaded to the
point where employees have trouble
handling them?
7. Are the wheels and shelves on carts and
trolleys in good condition?
8. Is the floor free from debris and
obstacles (mop or broom handles, etc.)
9. Are mats in good condition, with edges
that stay flat on floor (no curled edges)?
10.Are there industrial-type floormats
between the restaurant and the dishroom
to prevent grease and water on the
dishroom floor from staining the dining
room carpet? If so, are they in good
condition, and being changed regularly?
11.Are any tiles broken along the walkway
from the dining room to the dishroom
that may cause a cart wheel to stop
abruptly or a waiter to trip?
12.Is a traction treatment being used to
reduce slips and falls?
13.Do waiters and dishroom personnel have
shoes that provide good traction on wet
surfaces?

No

Comments/
Recommendations

14.Are slip resistant tiles being used in wet

areas, like the dishroom, to reduce slips
and falls?
15.Are the floors at the dishtable kept
relatively clean and dry?
16.Are in and out doors clearly
marked? Do they only swing one way?
17.If there is only one door between the
restaurant and dishroom is there a
window so waiters can see if anyone is
coming from the opposite way?
18.Are there convex mirrors installed at
blind corners?
19.If corridors are too narrow, is it possible
to widen them?
20.Is there a breakage display board or
chart anywhere in the back of the house
to inform and remind employees of
breakage costs?

6. DISHROOM
1. Does the dishtable have overhead
shelving to facilitate glass/cup racking?
2. Is the shelving at a suitable height for
most employees to be able to reach all
glass rack compartments?
3. Is the overhead shelving tilted slightly to
one side to allow for drainage of liquids?
4. Are the glass racks tilted forward (toward
waiters) while the racks are filled?
5. Are full glass racks pushed back over the
center bar to signal the DMO it is ready
to be washed?
6. Is the dishtable surface large enough to
accommodate the decoyed dishes, a
silverware soak box and other items?
7. Is the dishtable surface slightly tilted to
allow liquids to run toward a drain?
8. Are garbage bins strategically located to
facilitate pre-scrapping?
9. During pre-flushing, is the dishrack
positioned over the sink so all food soils
flushed off will fall into the sink?
10.Are there rails across the top of the sink
to support the rack?
11.Is the preflush hose in good condition?
12.Is the preflush hose valve in good
working condition? Is the pressure strong
enough?
13.Is the water temperature of the preflush
hose warm enough to soften solidified
grease?
14.Is the table at the exit end of the
dishmachine long enough to
accommodate at least two racks?
15.Is the table tilted so water draining from
the racks can drain back into the
dishmachine?

Yes

No

Comments

7. SCRAPPING
1. Are waiters assisting the DMO by
scrapping the dishes upon their arrival to
the dishtable?
2. Are waiters depositing food soils and
papers in the appropriate bins?
3. Is the floor in front of the dishtable kept
dry and as free of food debris as
possible?
4. Are waiters racking the glasses?
5. Are waiters placing the utensils in the
presoak solution?
6. Are utensils sometimes accidentally
thrown into the garbage bins?
7. Does the steward occasionally check the
trash for utensils?
8. If the utensils are magnetic, are there
magnets blocks on the bin lid to attract
them?
9. During large banquets, are temporary
dishtables set up close to banquet rooms
to facilitate
pre-scrapping and transport of dishes to
the dishroom?
10.After a large banquet, are glasses (some
still filled with water) racked right-sideup in racks prior to transport to the
dishroom?

Yes

No

Comments

8. THE DECOY SYSTEM

1. Is the decoy system being used at all
times?
2. Are the decoyed stacks of dishes less
than 30cm high?
3. Does the DMO continue to use the decoy
system to maintain order even when the
outlet is extremely busy?
4. If the operator is called away to work
elsewhere, is water sprayed between the
stacked dishes to keep the soils from
hardening?
5. Are metal marks a problem?

Yes

No

Comments

9. RACKING
1. When racking pegged racks with dishes
are the dishes all the same size?
2. If the answer to the above question is
no, is extra work required on the part of
the employees to put the different sized
dishes away in different locations after
unloading the rack?
3. Are smaller dishes sometimes washed
between larger dishes creating a
shielding effect?
4. Are more than two dinner plates being
washed in a single row of a plate rack?
5. Are extra dishes sometimes stacked
around the side walls of a rack?
6. Are ice-water glasses emptied and
allowed to warm to room temperature
before washing?
7. Are the glass racks properly sized? Are
stems protruding above the top of the
compartments?
8. Are any compartment sizes too large or
too small?
9. Are there overhead shelves on the
dishtable for glass racks?
10.Are overhead shelves being used
properly?
11.Are overhead shelves too high for some
employees to reach?
12.Are wall charts posted to remind
employees which glasses go in each
particular rack?

Yes

No

Comments

10. WASHING
1. What is the water hardness? ______
ppm
2. What is the detergent concentration (
___ g/L) Is it sufficient to insure clean
ware?
3. Is the water in the machine changed
regularly? How often?
4. Are the machine temps correct?
Pre-Wash
45 - 50 C
Wash
55 - 65 C
Power Rinse 70 - 75 C
Final Rinse
82 - 90 C
5. Is the working rinse pressure between
15-25 psi (1-1.5 bar)?
6. Is the rinse temp fairly consistent, rack
after rack?
7. How many mls per rack rinse additive?
8. Are the wash and final rinse jets clear?
9. Is the final rinse spray pattern correct?
10.Are all the curtains supple and in place?
11.When washed in conveyor machines, are
the racks pushed in just far enough for
the conveyor dogs to catch and start
pulling the rack?
12.When the racks exit the conveyor
machine, do the operators wait until the
rack is completely rinsed before pulling it
away from the exit?
13.Are the dishes and bowls sufficiently preflushed to remove gross soils prior to
washing?
14.When racks of dishes are washed in
conveyor machines, are they loaded into
the machine with the dishes facing the
machine entrance?
15.Are coffee and/or tea cups soaked prior
to machine washing? If so, in what?
16.Are ice-water glasses emptied and
allowed to warm to room temperature
before washing?

10

Yes

No

Comments

11. INSPECTION
1. Approximately what percent of ware is
being rewashed due to poor results?
2. Is there condensation on the inside of the
glasses exiting the machine?
3. Upon visual inspection, is the ware
spotted or streaked? If so, what is causing
the problem?
Water hardness (______ ppm)
TDS (_____ ppm)
Dirty wash water
Poor rinsing (Indicator P test is positive)
Poor procedures
Other: Provide details
4. Are the glasses, dishes or silverware
filmed?
5. What was the result of the Starch Test?
6. What was the result of the Bubble Test?
7. What was the result of the Half and Half
Test?
8. Are dishes sheeting correctly

Comments

Yes

No

12. STORAGE
Yes
1. Is the storage area well organized?
2. Is there adequate storage space for all
dishes and glasses?
3. Are there photos on index cards with
code numbers and descriptions of the
items to aid identification during banquet
set up and inventory checks?
4. Are seldom-used glasses stored in glass
racks, not repacked in cardboard boxes?
5. Are stack of full glass racks used for
banquets stored safely on dolleys with
casters, with wall charts above the stacks
to allow easy identification?

No

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Comments

13. TABLE SET UP

1. Is all ware carefully and efficiently
transported to the tables?
2. Is it placed onto the table gently, one
piece at a time?

Yes

No

Comments

Additional Comments:
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