Preparing to Reopen Your Restaurant
Local First Arizona, in partnership with AWE Collective and Kind Hospitality have created a detailed and comprehensive guide explaining necessary steps for restaurant reopening that you can find here.
RESTAURANTS, BARS, TAPROOMS, AND TASTING ROOMS CAN ALLOW DINE-IN SERVICES AS OF MONDAY, MAY 11, 2020.
Local First Arizona encourages safety precautions that food and beverage businesses must take in order to safely reopen, and respects the choice of all businesses who choose to not open yet. Whether or not businesses have chosen to reopen, you need to start preparing so you can adapt to new changes in operating your business.
Eateries across the state are starting to reopen their doors today, and while many have approached this moment with great anticipation, others remain concerned about retooling their practices, maintaining a safe environment and otherwise prioritizing public safety.
That’s why full-service agency AWE Collective, KIND Hospitality and Local First Arizona have joined forces to produce “Reopening AZ, A restaurant guide, from restaurant people,” a free downloadable resource that helps local businesses navigate the reopening of their eateries. Covering everything from how to clean and sanitize various parts of the restaurant to how to maximize the safety and health of staff and guests, this guide provides a go-to game plan business owners can reference while adapting to the industry’s “new normal.”
As the name behind hundreds of restaurant concepts ranging from fast-casual and fine-dining establishments to airport kiosks, KIND Hospitality has a vested interest in seeing today’s restaurants reopen successfully and is uniquely positioned to offer guidance in this area.
“The team at KIND Hospitality has a wealth of helpful information not only for standard sit-down restaurants but for many other types of hospitality and food-service businesses, too,” said AWE Collective Owner & Creative Director Ty James Largo, noting that the guide offers advice specific to certain segments of the restaurant industry, among them bars, drive-thru restaurants and fast-casual eateries. “There’s no “one-size-fits-all” reopening formula that applies to all restaurants, but this guide provides direction that’s specific to your type of business.”
As the marketing mouthpiece behind many of Arizona’s biggest names in hospitality, AWE Collective also offers a unique perspective that goes well beyond what type of sanitizer best kills germs on hard surfaces. In addition to providing cleaning and sanitation guidelines, the “Best Practices” guide covers material ranging from how to create a reopening plan with company leadership to how to plan for possible product shortages and shipping delays that may arise in an uncertain business climate.
“At Local First Arizona, our goal has always been to strengthen the economy by helping small businesses succeed,” said Local First Arizona’s Thomas Barr. “That’s why we created this completely free resource by locals and for locals to access to help themselves reopen – and stay open – in the wake of recent world events.”
To access AWE Collective, KIND Hospitality and Local First Arizona’s “Best Practices Guide to Reopening Your Restaurant,” visit localfirstaz.com/covidresources.
As implementation begins, it is imperative that restaurants maintain, review, and revise their plan should the public health situation or operational concerns shift. Restaurants should not expect things to be “business as usual”, instead envision a new look and feel with new seating arrangements, hand sanitizer stations and similar safety protocols in place. Also, it will be necessary from a health and business standpoint to conduct operations with limited staff.
Maintaining a clean and sanitized environment, creating proper social distancing guidelines, and prioritizing health and hygiene of your staff members at all times are things that must be done to protect the health of our community but also to build much needed new trust with your diners.
Operationally each restaurant should check with suppliers on availability of food sources as well as cleaning and to go supplies. Should product shortages be an issue our Good Food Finder can help locate local food for your operation. The restaurant itself must be prepped for reopening. Long periods of inactivity may have created issues with beer taps, soda machines, and general cleanliness of the establishment. Full cleaning and sanitation of the facility is needed prior to safely reopening.
Information and guidelines for these new procedures are plentiful, as a resource for our local restaurants trying to navigate these new operational challenges Local First has put together this quick reference list:
Clean and sanitize the entire business.
Clean and sanitize everything on guest tables between each seating
Transition to disposable paper menus or write the offerings on a chalkboard as a more sustainable option
Rely on touchless technologies and payment systems when possible
Clean hands immediately after handling money
Make contact-free hand sanitizer available for staff and guests
Reconfigure dining areas to accommodate social distancing
Limit party sizes to 10 or fewer
Encourage reservations and call-ahead seating
Post clear signage barring entry for individuals exhibiting signs of illness or COVID-19 exposure
Take all necessary efforts to encourage social distancing- stagger employee workstations, use floor markings to separate waiting guests
Offer masks to wait staff and hosts
Do not allow ill employees to come to work.
Follow all handwashing, mask and glove wearing guidelines at all times
Consider implementing contact-free temperature checks
Make sure all managers hold food-safety certifications and that someone certified remains onsite at all times
Discontinue use of buffets and salad bars, have to go options readily available
Train all employees providing curbside and to go services in safe-handling and -packaging practices
To-go cocktails at the Royal Room in Tucson, Arizona.
Additional Resources
Detailed reopening information from Arizona State, Centers for Disease Control, and the National Restaurant Association.
The Food and Drug Administration has guidelines for restaurant owners and workers should they have an employee that has been infected here.
The Environmental Protection Agency has a list of approved disinfectants that kill the virus that causes COVID-19, you can find the list here.
On that list is Quaternary Ammonium, the active ingredient in Accurate Chemical's Accu-Quat. Tempe based Accurate Chemical’s resource page for this product can be found here.
Social Spin Laundromat has a mask service for workers. They deliver, collect, and sanitize masks for restaurant workers. You can learn more about their program here.
If you need help with marketing and getting the word out about being open and any guidelines for guests reach out to the AWE Collective, the premier marketing company specializing in restaurants.
The COVID-19 crisis has showcased the ingenuity and creativity of our restaurant entrepreneurs. They are capitalizing upon the moment as a way to create new revenue streams and exploring innovative ways to grow their restaurant’s customer base. If you are healthy, and you feel safe, support these businesses as they reopen their doors and share their passion and creativity with the public through dining in, picking up carry out, having food delivered, or buying drinks to go.
The Local First Arizona, AWE Collective, and Kind Hospitality guide explaining necessary steps for restaurant reopening can be found here.