"A sick, satisfied customer is an oxymoron," says Chester England III, director of quality and food safety for Burger King Corp. "The first step in customer satisfaction is that they walk out of the restaurant as healthy as they came in".

Yet, with all the time, effort and money the industry is investing in food safety, the question remains, Have all of its efforts made an impact on consumer confidence? Are customers feeling better about the food they are ordering?

In 1997 the National Restaurant Association released research that stated that 97 percent of consumers said knowing that restaurant workers are trained in food safety is the most important aspect in making them feel confident in the industry's ability to serve safe food.

Visit the sites below for customer safety information and tips:

• International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), Customer ... Customer Relationship Management: A bold new Think-Tank on Safety & Security.
  http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4001724.htm
  
  
• Strengthen Your Safety Net (Restaurants USA, Feb 1997) The Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association has developed the AWARE Employee and Customer Safety Program.
  No longer available online
  
  
• ACF Safety and Sanitation Course Requirements for ... Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association, "Employee and Customer Safety, ServeSafe", 1992.
  http://www.acfchefs.org/certify/sani30hr.html
  
  
• alpha list Effective Communications for Today's Restaurant Manager, Employee and Customer Safety.
  http://www.acfchefs.org/certify/sani30hr.html