Evaluation of the hygienic quality and service of the gastronomic offer in a coastal tourist destination (#1952)

Authors

Guadalupe-Moyano, Verónica Rafaela

Villagómez-Buele, César Gardel

Molina-Bravo, Grace Helga

Ricaurte-Párraga, Rayner Reynaldo

Ricaurte-Párraga, Rossana Maria

Abstract

The Commune Libertador Bolívar in Santa Elena, Ecuador, is a coastal tourist destination. The main objective of this study is to carry out qualitative and quantitative quality assessments of the gastronomic offer of Libertador Bolivar. For which research tools such as hygiene audit and service audit were used, both based on Ecuadorian regulation and microbiological evaluation of food. In order to get qualitative data, interviews were done. As a result of the evaluation of good hygiene practices in food handling, it was found that the primary needs for improvement are equipment and utensils, tobacco control, pest control, and sanitary conditions. Likewise, it was identified that the staff of the different restaurants meets 100% of the requirements, representing a strength in the gastronomic offer of the commune. Restaurant service obtained a very good rating, 72 + 3%, suggesting the need to improve menu planning and include constant updates to ensure customer satisfaction. Finally, the microbiological evaluation of the food revealed the presence of total coliforms in three of the four food groups selected as the sample, which implies that the food is susceptible to pathogenic microorganisms contamination and reflects the necessity to better the hygienic conditions of the food preparation process.