Under the leadership of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, training programs launched against COVID-19 are continuing in Gaziantep, located in the south of Turkey, which is included in the “Creative Cities Network” by UNESCO. Fatma Şahin, mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, visited many businesses that completed the training program today and presented their certificates “Fıstık Gibi”.
Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality has become the address of the firsts in Turkey with the applications it has implemented to ensure that preventive measures against the pandemic are integrated into social life as part of the new normalization process that began on June 1st.
The Metropolitan Municipality, which pressed the button to ensure that the recession experienced in the service sector revives from 16 March to 1 June due to the new type of Coronavirus, creates an atmosphere of peace and security in the city with its organized practices against the epidemic and also directs both the national and international arena with its projects that will be exemplary. In this context, visitors were provided with “Fıstık Gibi” certificates which were put into operation in the service sector to maintain the gastronomic identity of the city and to create the perception of the capital of healthy tastes in both domestic and foreign tourists at the beginning of the new normals. Besides, a QR Code menu system has been introduced in restaurants with the goal of minimizing physical contact. In addition, training for barbers, hairdressers and beauty centres were organized and the operators and staff related to pandemics were informed.
“FISTIK GİBİ” CERTIFICATION
The training program which is organized with the cooperation of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce through expert trainers on hygiene, social distance, attitude and behaviour towards pandemics, brought together people who work in the service sector such as restaurants, barbers, hairdressers and beauty centres with the “Fıstık Gibi” certification that will be given at the end of the training. Then, businesses get a report card, which is inspected at intervals and gets stars from 1 to 5. Thus, the customer will evaluate the business that takes the best care against the virus and make its choice accordingly and the atmosphere of trust will be provided.
QR CODE APPLICATION INTRODUCED
The “QR Code Menu Application”, which is applied and promoted with the participation of Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Sahin at the Kitchen Arts Center selected as a pilot business, will prevent manual contact and ensure the health of customers with this system. Besides, “QR Code Menu” application can be established for every business in Gaziantep.
BUSINESSES IN GAZIANTEP RECEIVE THE “FISTIK GİBİ” CERTIFICATE ONE BY ONE
As of June 1st, the Metropolitan Municipality, which aims to achieve the image of the capital of healthy taste in the gastronomy city of Gaziantep with the new normalization process, has ensured that the city’s major restaurants meet pandemic standards by organizing a “Like Peanut” certificate ceremony for Orkide Patisserie and Restaurant, Imam Çağdaş Kebab and Baklava Salonu and Tahmis Kahvesi, Kebapçı Halil Usta and Acıoğlu Restaurant while continuing hygiene and disinfection training.
PEACE AND SECURITY WERE ESTABLISHED WITH HYGIENE EDUCATOR training
In the first week of the training, information that including general information of COVID-19, rules to be followed by kitchen employees and measures to be taken, rules to be applied to service workers, general rules for delivery services, general rules on valet service, general rules on reception-welcoming, practices related to the use of mosques, guest acceptance in restaurants and cafes, seating order and the implementation of social distance rules were given to the participants by Abdullah Çevik, who is in charge of GASMEK in the Metropolitan Municipality.
ŞAHİN: TRUST NOW WANTS EDUCATION, STANDARD AND CERTIFICATION
Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Sahin stated that new titles have emerged in the field of gastronomy in the new process. “One of the new trends is leadership. We need to work together to set our priorities. It requires unity with its tradesman, marketer, manager. Innovation and sustainability are requested. Today, the customer needs to serve dinner with lidded meals, and the customer needs to see that it’s not touched by hand. Standards are rising very quickly. We need to achieve this speed in tourism. We’re going to keep our self-confidence high as we go through the new recovery process. The most important of these is now “trust.” Trust now wants education, standards and certification. Trust gives you recognition. We are launching our new campaign by saying, “Everything will be ‘Fıstık Gibi’ and everywhere will be ‘Fıstık Gibi’.” We’re going to educate you. We will spread our training in gastronomy to the bottom. We will lead the training to the feet of sector workers and we will not call anyone. A created team will visit the restaurants one by one and provide hygiene training and service training. As Metropolitan Municipality under the coordination of Gaziantep Governorship, we will work together with the chambers. Gaziantep has a common mind. We have everything. After training, certification. When the customer thinks about whether or not to enter the restaurant, They’ll feel confident when they see this certificate. Then, it will be audited to see if it follows the standards. It will be inspected to see if it is implementing the standards. And then, the campaign announces it to the customer and the world. We’ll be working on this campaign with you and the press. There’s a QR Code system on the table. You will be able to access the menu hygienically by scanning the code with your mobile phone. The era of menu hand-to-hand is over. Finger hygiene is very important. As Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, we offer this QR Code system to everyone who wants it. We’ll see this place well today. I know we’ve had a rough time. We will get through this process in solidarity as Gaziantep.”