It would be best if you prepared your bar or restaurant before reopening to promote social distance. Then continue to make adjustments as necessary. You could even have it become a reoccurring topic of conversation during shift/company meetings.
Before Opening
To social distance before opening:
- Move tables and chairs 6 feet away from each other
- Mark the floor in areas that commonly cause a queue
- Encourage outdoor seating
- Follow all size restrictions (some states are allowing a 100% occupancy while others are recommending 50% or even 25%)
- Place plastic partitions
- Limit party sizes/Do not encourage parties
Additional things to consider
Additional measures which have been recommended or required by counties, states, and federal agencies in regards to social distance include:
- Most states are no longer allowing buffet-style eating and self-service drinks. Instead, have an employee who’s available to serve the customer.
- To alleviate queuing in front of registers, you can encourage taking payment ahead of time.
- Some are even going as far as limiting bathroom use by using a bathroom key.
- Since activities such as dancing, games, pool tables, dartboards, and jukeboxes should cause lines, it’s suggested that these activities be discontinued or reconfigured to meet social distancing.
- Encourage cards over cash.
- Be sure to continue offering and encouraging delivery and pick up. Not all people will want to come out due to these changes but still want to show support by ordering in.
Next
Next up will be a deep dive into training!
Be sure to check out our previous articles on personal hygiene, handwashing, proper PPE, and cleaning.
To help facilitate the reopening process and assist in the training process, we’ll be offering a free PowerPoint presentation that has been made available with this *information that is free to download and reuse.
Social Distancing Signs
*(This material is not supported by any state or federal government and is not sanctioned by an authority on food handling safety.)
