06/18/2021 - Kent Hahne, Founder and CEO of the Apeiron Restaurant & Retail Management GmbH is one of the first restaurateurs to receive the "Hygiene and Infection Protection Management in the Hospitality Industry" certificate for his restaurant chain, The ASH and 19 L'Osteria restaurants from the TÜV Rhineland.

As part of a voluntary audit process, the TÜV Rhineland auditors inspected a total of nine restaurants from The ASH Restaurant & Bar and 19 L'Osteria restaurants with regard to their hygiene and protection measures. The audit catalog on which the standard is based includes more than 80 criteria addressing, for instance, the safe design of the employees' working environment and also the protection of guests, for example, through technical and organizational processes or through customized workflows. "The safety of our employees and guests is our top priority. Therefore, we have implemented many different measures to ensure this. However, it was also important to us to get confirmation from the official authorities" says Kent Hahne.

During the on-site audit, the TÜV Rhineland auditors examined the extent to which the restaurants met the required criteria. The procedure consisted of two stages: During the site inspection, all areas such as the kitchen, warehouse, lounges, outdoor and indoor dining areas were checked, and it was determined how the required protection and hygiene measures were implemented. This involved questions such as: Are the necessary distances being maintained? Where are there contact areas with the suppliers and what is the status of infection and hygiene protection in these areas? Are the suppliers and guests’ addresses being recorded? The second stage of the procedure involved document check. Here, the TÜV Rhineland auditors reviewed, for example, work instructions for the employees as well as training documentation. "The restaurants at L'Osteria and The ASH have successfully completed the audit procedure. This shows that they meet the standards' requirements and have implemented an effective concept for Hygiene and Infection Protection," explains Alina Roeder, TÜV Rhineland's responsible Product Manager.

The certificate has a term of one year. "With the certification, our guests can now see in black and white that we are doing everything we can to increase safety so that we can give them a more normal experience again," concludes the successful restaurateur.