Customer Care and Help

To become ServSafe Food Safety certified you must meet your state/local health department regulatory requirements.

• If your state requires that you complete the ServSafe Manager Certification Training Course and pass the certification exam, you may find training classes and exam administration locations in our online database. Be sure to contact your state restaurant association and state/local health department for additional class and exam sites.
  
  Some states allow you to use or an online course to complete ServSafe Manager Certification Training. Exams are not included in online courses.

• After completing these courses, search for exam administration sites in our online database. If you have questions about your state's requirements and/or cannot find classes or exam administration locations listed on the web site, please contact your state restaurant association and state/local health department for more options.

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Duplicate certificates cost $20 each. To order, submit a Certificate Request Form:

1. Download, print out, and complete the Certificate and Score Release Request Form. Downloading this PDF file requires installation of Adobe^® Acrobat^®Reader^®. Print legibly when completing the form.

   How to download: Save the file to your computer's hard drive and open from there rather than opening it via your web browser.

   In Internet Explorer, right click on the PDF link; choose "Save Target As..."; save the file to the location you want and then open the file once the download finishes.

   In Netscape Navigator, right click on the PDF link; choose "Save Link As... "; save the file to the location you want and then open the file once the download finishes.

   If you are unable to download the PDF and would like one sent to you, phone (800) 765-2122, ext. 6703. In Chicagoland (312) 715-1010, ext. 6703.

2. Fax your completed form to the Certification Department at (866) 665-9570 or (312) 583-9853.

3. Immediately after faxing, phone to verify that we have received your fax: (800) 765-2122, ext. 6703. In Chicagoland (312) 715-1010, ext. 6703.

   Or you may mail your completed form to the:

   National Restaurant Association Solutions
   175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1500
   Chicago, Illinois 60604-2814
   Attn: Certificaiton Department

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Within 15 business days of your examination date. Obtain your score by logging in to Online Class and Exam Reports with login information given to you by your exam proctor.

You may also obtain your exam score from the person your instructor or proctor designated as the official score and certificate distributor. Certificate distributors may be your instructor or proctor, the class sponsor, or possibly your employer. The exam score is also available on the score analysis portion of certificate issued after 2/17/03.

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• Use ServSafe Essentials:
  • To obtain a basic understanding of food safety information
  • For one- or two- day training formats
• Use the ServSafe Coursebook:
  • To gain a more comprehensive understanding of food safety
  • For two or more days of instruction

  Check with your state/local health department for hourly requirements

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1. Individuals who are not already registered with National Restaurant Association Solutions as an Approved ServSafe Alcohol Instructor must meet requirements on the ServSafe Alcohol Online Proctor Application Application to become an online proctor. Servsafe Alcohol Online Proctors are able to proctor the ServSafe Alcohol Advanced Online Exam only. Servsafe Alcohol Online Proctors are not authorized to teach a course or proctor any ServSafe Alcohol Paper-and-Pencil Examinations.

   Be sure to print legibly when completing the form. Fax your completed form to Certification at (866) 665-9570 or (312) 583-9853. Immediately after faxing, call to verify that your fax was received. Phone (800) 765-2122, ext. 6703. In Chicagoland (312) 715-1010, ext. 6703.

2. Read the ServSafe Alcohol Examination Administration Handbook prior to applying. Downloading this PDF files requires installation of Adobe^® Acrobat^®Reader^®.

Or you may mail your completed form to the:

National Restaurant Association Solutions
175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1500
Chicago, Illinois 60604-2814
Attn: Certificaiton Department

For further assistance please email certification@restaurant.org or phone Certification Department at (800) 765-2122, ext. 6703. In Chicagoland phone (312) 715-1010, ext. 6703.

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Only Approved ServSafe Alcohol Instructors can order exam question booklets. Examination orders should be placed 12 business days in advance of date needed.

To order:

1. Go to the Instructor Resource Center and log in to "Schedule exams, create and manage your classes: print-based and online".

2. Log in using your User ID and password. (this information was provided in your approval email and instructions on obtaining one or what to do if you do not remember your log in are provided on the log in screen).

3. In the create classes section you will see the name of your course "08-ServSafe Alcohol Advanced Course" and to the right you will click on "create class" action.

4. Next select "print- based". This will take you to the screen where you will enter your class information.

5. When you are done click "finish". You will receive confirmation of your exam order and your class number. If your email address is on file with us you will also receive an email confirmation of your order with the date your order will ship.

If 12 business day notice cannot be met or you do not want to order on the web, then you will submit your exam order on the ServSafe Alcohol Examination Request Form. If your order is submitted with less than 12 business days notice, then you must provide a credit card number for the $20 shipping and handling cost of the exam question booklets.

1. Download, print out and complete the ServSafe Alcohol Examination Request Form (SAERF). Printing this PDF file requires installation of Adobe^® Acrobat^®Reader^®.

2. Print legibly when completing the SAERF.

   How to download: Save the PDF file to your computer's hard drive and open from there rather than opening it via your web browser.
   
   In Internet Explorer, right click on the PDF link; choose "Save Target As..."; save the file to the location you want and then open the file once the download finishes.
   
   In Netscape Navigator, right click on the PDF link; choose "Save Link As... "; save the file to the location you want and then open the file once the download finishes.

3. Fax your completed form to the Certification Department at (866) 665-9570 or (312) 583-9853.

4. Immediately after faxing, phone (800) 765-2122, ext. 6703 to verify that we have received your fax.
   
   Or you may mail your completed ERF to the:

   National Restaurant Association Solutionsn
   175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1500
   Chicago, Illinois 60604-2814
   Attn: Certification Department

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Approved ServSafe Alcohol Instructors have access to this examination via secure log in to the ServSafe Alcohol section at to the instructor resource center. You may download the exam at your convenience.

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Detailed instructions on administering this examination are available in the ServSafe Alcohol Examination Administration Handbook

NOTE: No one, regardless of position held, is permitted to proctor this examination to a relative.

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Handling costs are $12.50 per order.

Shipping costs are calculated based on the state to which the order is being shipped.

• Orders within the United States incur about an additional 5% of the total product cost
• Add 10% for orders shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada.
• Add 30% for International orders.

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Download a credit application.

Then FAX your completed application to (312) 583-9707 or (866) 665-9570. Attn: Credit Manager

Or MAIL your completed application to the:

National Restaurant Association Solutions
175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1500
Chicago, Illinois 60604-2702
Attn: Credit Manager

Questions about credit applications?
Please email twoods@restaurant.org or phone (800) 765-2122, ext. 5367.

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Hands should be washed between tasks and each time they become contaminated. Therefore, if you are bussing or clearing tables, it is necessary to wash your hands before handling anything that is clean such as utensils, plates, or glasses. To reduce the number of times the bus persons should wash their hands, it might be a good idea to group the tasks they do. For example, one person could be assigned to clearing tables, taking out the trash, etc. and a different person could be assigned to setting the tables and handling other clean items. This way, their job does not pose the potential risk of cross-contamination.

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Recently, the FDA lowered the holding temperature for hot potentially hazardous food from 140°F to 135°F based on input from the Conference for Food Protection. At the 2002 CFP, it was determined that enough scientific information existed to warrant this temperature change. Technical studies of key foodborne pathogens show that the upper limits of their growth range are well below 140°F (e.g. Bacillus cereus 122°F; Clostridium perfringens 127.5F; Clostridium botulinum 118°F; Staphylococcus aureus 122°F). The temperature change was incorporated into the 2003 supplement to the 2001 FDA Food Code.

The change to the hot holding temperature affects the holding temperature for plant food, the storage temperature of in-use utensils, and the cooling temperature parameters. Other changes to the 2001 FDA Food Code can be found at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fc01-sup.html.

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To get a summary of the food protection manager certification requirements in your area visit the regulatory summaries. For more in-depth questions, please contact your local health department or state restaurant association.

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The Conference for Food Protection (CFP) is an independent national voluntary organization established to promote food safety and consumer protection.

The ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Examination has conformed to the CFP standards for examination development. The CFP, in conjunction with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), developed a voluntary program and protocol for recognizing food protection manager certification examinations. The purpose of the recognition program is to ensure certification exams conform to CFP standards for validity, reliability and legal defensibility.

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For information on the development process of the ServSafe Examination, please download the ServSafe Examination Development Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

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