In its aim to help the local Food & Beverage (F&B) industry bounce back amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Diageo Southeast Asia, a global leader in beverage alcohol, has launched its “Diageo Clean Serve—Raise the Bar” program in the Philippines to support the business community and lean in on economic recovery of the F&B and tourism sectors in the current and post pandemic environment.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the way people work, live, and lead their daily lives. As the world begins to resume some level of normalcy, what is certain is that there would now be heightened standards relating to hygiene and safety standards, especially as restaurants and bars reopen for business, and tourism travel slowly resumes,” said Corporate Relations Director Gerrard Paez.
This prompted Diageo to roll out a training program that aims to “raise the bar” on hygiene standards as well as rolling out various collaterals such as hand wash posters, pamphlets, and hand sanitizers. This program aims to target front line on-trade staff, including waiters, bar staff, and bartenders.
“Not only are governments mandating businesses to put in place the necessary safety and hygiene measures, consumers themselves want to be reassured that the businesses they patronize have taken the necessary precautions. Consumers want to feel at ease spending time in the external environment. This is what businesses need to thrive as we all navigate the new normal,” Paez said.
Diageo however, clarified that the Diageo Clean Serve is not an accreditation program and does not replace existing government requirements on hygiene, food safety, and handling standards. But restaurants and bars who subscribe to the program will have to receive the relevant training by the Diageo Bar Academy and commit to maintaining the highest level of hygiene standards for their staff and location.
This would in turn give consumers confidence when they walk into a bar, knowing that the staff have been adequately trained and that the premise is a safe place to be, as well as help Diageo’s on-trade partners bounce back through these proactive efforts.
Of this, Paez added, “Diageo is committed to working in partnership with the restaurants and bars in the on-trade to adapt to these behavioural changes to ensure a strong post-COVID-19 recovery. Together, we will emerge stronger.”