The industry guidance for dining-in at restaurants were just released today. Note this doesn’t replace the orders at the county level regarding dine-in.
Thoughts?
Some highlights:
• Brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries, and wineries should
remain closed until those establishments are allowed to resume modified
or full operation unless they are offering sit-down, dine-in meals. Alcohol
can only be sold in the same transaction as a meal.
• Dine-in restaurants, brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries, and
wineries that provide sit-down meals should follow the restaurant
guidance below and should continue to encourage takeout and delivery
service whenever possible.
• Brewpubs, breweries, bars, pubs, craft distilleries, and wineries that do not
provide sit-down meals themselves, but can contract with another
vendor to do so, can serve dine-in meals provided both businesses follow
the guidance below and alcohol is only sold in the same transaction as a
meal.
• Provide disposable menus to guests and make menus available digitally
so that customers can view on a personal electronic device, if possible. If
disposable menus cannot be provided, properly disinfect menus before
and after customer use. Consider options for customers to order ahead of
time.
• Suspend use of shared food items such as condiment bottles, salt and
pepper shakers, etc. and provide these foods in single serve containers, if
possible. Where this is not possible, shared items such as condiment
bottles, shakers, etc., should be supplied as needed to customers and
disinfected after each use.
• Close areas where customers may congregate or touch food or food
ware items that other guests may use. Provide these items to guests
individually and discard or clean and disinfect after each use, as
appropriate. This includes but is not limited to:
Self-service areas with condiment caddies, utensil caddies, napkins,
lids, straws, water pitchers, to-go containers, etc.
• Consider allowing dine-in customers to order ahead of time to limit the
amount of time spent in the establishment.
• Install physical barriers or partitions at cash registers, bars, host stands, and
other areas where maintaining physical distance of six feet is difficult.
• Remove tables and chairs from dining areas so that six feet of physical
distance can be maintained for customers and employees. If tables,
chairs, booths, etc., cannot be moved, use visual cues to show that they
are not available for use or install Plexiglas or other types of impermeable
physical barriers to minimize exposure between customers.
• Bar areas should remain closed to customers.
. Personally I don’t need to dine in that badly where I think its worth the risk.
