As the dust settles and states begin to look forward to reopening it’s time to think about what types of measures your bar, restaurant, or another establishment in Texas should do about reopening.
Before reopening you should address concerns regarding sanitation and safety, employee education, liability, distancing, and continuing to offer to pick-up or delivery.
Restaurants and Bars were allowed to reopen on May 1st.
Sanitation and Safety
Currently, Texas restaurants are only allowed to operate at a 25% customer capacity. In addition, the state has mandated that self-service buffets must have an employee serving them food.
The tables are to be six feet apart. Different from other states, gloves and masks are not required. The 25% capacity is slated to rise to 50% on May 18, 2020.
For the safety of your staff and customers, you should sanitize all areas of the restaurant before reopening. This includes the kitchen, tables, chairs, the bathroom, and checkout areas. Be sure to follow the instructions found on our disinfectant label and rinse thoroughly with water to reduce the risk of food contamination.
Make sure all “high-touch” areas like doorknobs, railings, switches, and faucets are regularly being cleaned throughout the day. Since pin pads can be a hot spot of contamination make sure you’re wiping it down in between each customer use. If needed conduct training and reinforce procedures at meetings.
In addition, you should create house policies that dictate when and for how long an employee should be unable to return to work. The CDC currently recommends self-quarantining for 14 days for someone who might be sick and self-isolation if you are.
Liability
Before opening be sure to post a clear and concise liability waiver. This statement should be available for patrons and servers to read at the door or in seating areas.
This waiver should speak to how you’d like your customers to conduct themselves, how the staff has been trained, and enhanced cleaning procedures.
Distancing
In order to maintain the recommended six feet of separation, it’s recommended that you redesign the dining room areas to seat customers farther apart.
Consider canceling or postponing events that typically bring in crowds like fundraising, bands, and banquets. It is also recommended that you temporarily discontinue self-service food and drink opportunities.
Pick Up/Delivery
While a lot of people may be eager to rejoin their daily tasks like getting a bite to eat or drinking at the local pub.
There may be regular patrons who would prefer to remain distanced from the general population. So it may still be lucrative to maintain pick up and delivery options that were put into place. If this option was previously not in place, it may be a good time for management to reconsider.
Additional resources related to COVID in your state include:
