“Nothing goes perfectly, especially when you’re opening a restaurant”.
Bobby Flay's quote is relevant even in good times - more so when the restaurant industry starts to reopen in the aftermath of a pandemic. 2022 saw restaurant owners looking for safe and responsible ways to reopen and this is a major challenge today given the constantly evolving public health information updates, news, and a changing public opinion.
Even a year into business as usual restaurant owners are still grappling with new health and safety guidelines and restaurant reopening rules. Guidelines vary state by state but there are some general best practices that should be followed according to the CDC, HACCP, OSHA, and local government authorities. Policy decisions are influenced by local conditions, so staying in touch with local officials is important. Some rules that apply universally to all restaurant reopening are:
- No sick employees on site
- Prevent transmission on-site
- Improved cleaning and disinfection to increase safety
- Contactless or less touch-points
- Takeout/delivery as a preferred option
Best practices to keep in mind
Dining out has been influenced by COVID-19, so it's crucial to listen to those involved. Nearly 24 percent of people will spend less at restaurants because of lingering fears over the virus and changes in consumer behavior, according to a Nielsen survey. For restaurants to reassure customers, value, safety, and a quality experience need to be prioritized through the following practices:
- Ensure health and well-being: Restaurants must show that they care about the health and well-being of employees and customers. Clear policies on employee safety will help as will educating customers about new behavior expectations. McDonald’s is doing this through a variety of initiatives. It has launched an internal webpage called BeWell@McD dedicated to supporting US employees, a toolkit to help global markets develop resources, and a weekly newsletter in the post-pandemic scenario.
- Stay informed: Changing guidance from authorities, reviewing customer feedback, and trying new things means an ever-changing environment. Restaurants must prepare for multiple possible scenarios and keep track of results and metrics. They should stay in touch with their area health inspectors and other legal bodies to stay updated on the latest reforms.
- Adapt the menu: A more focused menu will help kitchens better prepare for staffing needs, better inventory management, and help run a more sanitized set-up. The menus of many restaurants have been redesigned to give customers more economical choices, for example, family meals instead of à la carte meals. Several independent restaurants have also begun pre-selling items to plan for capacity and seating.
In its new avatar as Olmstead Trading Post, fine-dining restaurant Olmstead of New York City offers pre-packaged menu items and local produce. Ledger Restaurant and Bar in Salem, Massachusetts, now known as Ledger Basket, offers prepared foods and pantry items.
- Separation of areas: Separate entrances should be kept for FOH and BOH employees, and the line between these two areas should be clearly and visibly delineated in many ways, such as different uniform colors, glove colors, aprons, etc.
- Safe FOH: Multiple levels of barriers must be maintained in the FOH like a bulletproof FOH system for example. This can be achieved by keeping distance between furniture, digital/disposable menus, and minimal table settings. Such steps will also ensure having a lean service staff.
- Be positive: Show that you care about your customers and use regulations to innovate by adopting new technologies. Many restaurants are doing that in interesting ways. Chuck E. Cheese released new online entertainment options to accompany its delivery/carryout options apart from launching afternoon fun breaks on social media channels. Many bakeries are selling cookie decorating kits for parents and children to decorate together. Restaurants are employing performance artists to deliver an experience. You'll find this at Vampire Pizza in Los Angeles where a vampire in full makeup and costume delivers the pizza along with a suspenseful game.
- Clear communication: Being open and transparent with employees will boost their productivity.
Steps to Reopening
1. Getting the Message Out to Diners
Across different areas of restaurants, customers need to be informed about the expectations of customer behavior and safety norms.
- Check-in/Arrival: This is the earliest opportunity to prepare customers for social distancing.
- Clear signage: One way is to place signs along the path that guests take to the front door. The font size should be appropriate for the viewing distance, and the words should communicate the social distancing norms.
- Social media/website communication: Websites and social media materials should provide current information to customers and encourage them to make online reservations, curb side takeout, and pickup.
- Assist customers with tech: Digital ordering and payment tools will help restaurants manage occupancy and ensure procedures are adhered to.
- Separation of areas: A six-foot distance should be maintained between the entry, waiting, and dining areas. To prevent crowding at doorways, separate entryways for dine-ins and take outs.
- Entry/Exit Areas: Try to restrict contact and volume in these areas.
- Slow down entry: Use barriers to slow customers down on the entry path so they can read safety signs.
- Place signage: Information about party sizes, masks, etc. should be communicated using images and few words.
- Separate entry and exit: To avoid crowding, diners should enter and exit from separate entrances. Encourage bookings, take-outs, etc.
- Staff support: Set up staff at strategic locations to guide customers away from dangerous areas by offering masks and protection kits.
- Touchless entry/exit: Foot handles, wipes, and touchless sanitizer dispensers help ensure minimal contact.
Serving Areas
- Bars and Eating Areas: Instead of bars, it would be a good idea to offer alcoholic beverages only at tables.
- Staggered Seating: Diners should sit at least six feet apart. The distance between open and closed tables should be made clear with signs or partitions. Mannequins and stuffed animals ensure social distance at many restaurants. The Inn at Little Washington in the DC Metropolitan area has mannequins in 1940s fashion occupying half the tables.
- Ventilation: If possible, keep windows and doors open for greater airflow. Maintaining thermal comfort and maximizing outdoor air according to the HVAC system can ensure good indoor air quality.
- Table arrangements: All communal items, such as menus, cutlery, and condiments, must be replaced with disposable cutlery and containers. In addition to cleaning protocols, table cards should provide safety guidelines. Servers should wear gloves and masks and maintain a six-foot distance from the table. Menus must be disposable or digital. Children should not be allowed to share coloring or craft materials. Napkins and tablecloths should be disposable. Using cloth tablecloths is only permitted if they are changed after each customer.
- Payment: Alternate payment methods should be utilized using technology. Check covers should be available for each table.
Staff only areas
- Staff only areas: Place barriers around areas that employees frequent frequently so they are inaccessible to customers.
- Food Preparation Areas: During food preparation, care must be taken.
- Utensils storage: Clean silverware, dishes, glasses, pots, and pans should be covered. A covered area is needed for hanging glasses. Silverware and glasses should be placed upside down on clean napkins.
- Food handling: Gloves must be worn when handling food deliveries.
- Food delivery: Delivered food should be unpacked outside the kitchen prep area and placed in a sanitized vessel that is temperature-controlled.
- Food storage: When stocking deliveries, gloves must be worn. After stocking is completed, they should be discarded.
Kitchen area
- Prep cooks should use sanitized equipment and use gloves at their prep station.
- Cooks at pre-sanitized workstations must wear a mask, gloves, and head covering.
- Cooking tools should be cleaned and sanitized immediately after cooking. To manage the pace, line cooks can also sanitize tools at the station while they work.
- Plate the food on sanitized plates before serving.
- The dishes should be covered with a sanitized plate and then handed to the designated food runner.
- Once the food is delivered to the table, the runner should remove the plate cover.
- To retrieve empty dishes, the food busser should wait until customers have left. Leftover food should be taken to the designated boxing area and returned to the table by the busser.
- Empty plates must be taken to the dishwashing area immediately.
Enhanced cleaning visibility
- Visibility of cleaning staff: Guests should be able to distinguish between wait staff and cleaning staff based on their attire. A dedicated cleaning team is recommended to prevent cross-contamination. You can win customer confidence by demonstrating all sanitary tasks completed inside your restaurant. The Delightree app helps you do that with Live COVID Dashboards.
- Washrooms: The bathroom needs to be clean on the outside and the inside.
- Prevent accidental visits: Diners should be prevented from walking into the kitchen or areas with high staff presence while looking for the washroom by signs and barriers.
- Contactless use: Door kicks, foot handles, touchless faucets, air dryers, and soap dispensers, as well as easy-to-access trash cans and disposable paper towels should be installed.
- Maintain logs: Place a cleaning log that customers can see in order to build customer trust.
- Trash cans: They should be located next to each door within easy reach.
- Waiting space: Provide "wait here" signs in the washroom area to avoid crowding.
Protecting Employees
Keeping employees healthy is essential for maintaining a healthy business. For this to happen, restaurateurs and managers must implement the following measures:
- Employees with underlying medical conditions or older adults should work in roles that limit their exposure risk, like handling inventory or billing. Rotate or stagger shifts to limit the number of employees in the restaurant at the same time.
- Telework can contribute to maintaining social distance between colleagues.
- Employees should be encouraged to walk, bike, drive, or ride a car to reduce exposure risk.
- When traveling to and from work, they should wear face masks and other protection. Hands should be washed when they enter.
- Every shift, a staff member should handle COVID-19 concerns. All employees must know who and how to contact this person.
- Put in place flexible sick leave policies and practices so that employees can stay home if they are ill or have to care for someone who is ill. Provide policies for the return to work after a COVID-19 illness.
- You should have a backup staff that is well-trained. If possible, train employees virtually on safety procedures. Alternatively, maintain social distancing during training sessions.
- Employees should be health checked every day.
- Employees should be encouraged to eat healthy, exercise, and share their concerns about their health.
- Employees who are sick should only return to work once they have completed home isolation in accordance with CDC guidelines.
- Whenever employees or customers show signs of illness at work, they should be separated and taken to a health center.
- Place the restaurant areas that were accessed by the sick person off limits until they are cleaned and disinfected.
Crisis = Innovation = Opportunity
Restaurant owners should have a plan for after the coronavirus, regardless of whether they move indoors or offer only takeout and delivery. Priority should be given to updating operating procedures, reactivating customers to bring them to dining rooms, adapting menus to meet changing preferences and habits, and enhancing delivery capabilities. Restaurants can do all this and provide their customers with a safe dining experience that gives them peace of mind that the establishment is taking every step to keep them healthy by using the right technologies.
