Inside Food Safety Ep. 3 | A $20,000 Alert: How One Notification Saved a Restaurant

What happens when a single notification prevents thousands of dollars in product loss?

In Episode 3 of Inside Food Safety, we're on location at The Tampa Club with Executive Chef Thomas Mandzik and Eric Moore from Testo North America to discuss a real incident that occurred just one week after a new automated temperature monitoring system was installed.

While away from the restaurant, Chef Thomas received an alert that a walk-in cooler wasn't operating normally. What initially appeared to be a minor issue turned out to be a refrigerant leak that could have resulted in the loss of nearly $20,000 in inventory before anyone returned to work.

The conversation expands beyond that story to explore why modern kitchens are embracing technology, how automation supports—not replaces—professional chefs, and why food safety begins long before a health inspection.

Topics include:

• How automated monitoring prevented a major inventory loss

• The true cost of refrigeration failures

• Why temperature logs alone aren't enough

• Leadership, systems, and creating a culture of food safety

• Balancing technology with craftsmanship in today's professional kitchen

• What restaurant operators can do to better protect their guests, staff, and business

Recorded on location at The Tampa Club in downtown Tampa. Special thanks to Alissa Costello for making that happen!

Inside Food Safety is hosted by Carl Fiadini and presented in partnership with Testo North America, exploring the people, technology, and best practices shaping safer kitchens across the foodservice industry.