We’ve mentioned a few of the measures restaurants are taking to protect their employees and customers from the COVID-19 virus. But those have been sidebars to other stories or mini-mentions in omnibus posts. Time now to collect them all and add a few more…
Sichuan Impression, a multi-location regional Southern California
resto chain, is checking patrons’ temperatures before
allowing them into their establishments.
Non-Contact Delivery
Restaurants in China started using this procedure very early in the COVID-19 game. KFC and Pizza Hut in China came up with a pretty simple process:
Customers can request contactless delivery when ordering and paying online. There’s even a special button in the phone app for that. They’ll be contacted by their delivery person to arrange a location for the hand-over. When the delivery person arrives at the agreed-upon spot, he or she will wait for the customer to appear at a distance before removing the food from the keep-warm container. The DP will then move off at least 10 feet before the customer moves in and grabs the goods. It appears to be a sound system for avoiding contact.
Delivery personnel are required to wear masks at all times, and to disinfect their hands and keep-warm containers after every delivery.
“The health and well being of our employees and customers is our top priority, and the innovative new services will help reduce the risk of person-to-person transmission of the Coronavirus and protect our employees and customers,” KFC and Pizza Hut parent company YUM China said in a statement.
Tamper-evident seals
Chipotle and several other delivery-reliant restaurant chains are placing tamper-evident seals on all their delivery packaging. These seals will break rather then peeling cleanly off. You’ll know if your order has been opened. I think we’re all aware of the penchant of some delivery drivers to poach bits and pieces of the meals they’re delivering. It’s especially bad in Australia, apparently, but it goes on everywhere.
Free delivery
Some restos that charge for delivery are waiving the fee for now. Check with your go-to source for its particular rules. At Chipotle, you can request free delivery when you order and pay via the phone app or the website. While you’re there. you can also request contact-less delivery.
KFC wants you to be careful
The Fried Chicken Giant has temporarily taken of the air commercials showing people licking their fingers. Of course, showing folks licking their fingers is a natural for KFC given the chains ancient and venerable slogan: ‘It’s Finger-Lickin’ Good!’ It’s just a very, very bad idea during the COVID-19 emergency. According to doctors, touching contaminated objects or surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes is the most likely way to catch the virus.
Starbucks looks after its employees
Starbucks last week announced it was suspending its anti-pollution program offering customers a discount in their Coffee if they brought their own reusable cups. Tim Horton’s followed suit. Neither Coffee purveyor wanted to expose its employees to containers that had been used and carried by customers.
Just recently, Starbucks announced it would give employees diagnosed with COVID-19 14 days of ‘catastrophe pay’ while they stay home. Other high-risk groups including: those 60 years of age or older; people with heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, otherwise weakened immune systems; and those who are pregnant. Starbucks wants the vulnerable members of their ‘family’ to self-isolate in their homes rather than come to work and risk either catching or spreading the virus.
No more free samples
Costco – famous for its ample free samples – has suspended that program indefinitely. Shared platters of unwrapped food samples? What better to ‘share’ COVID-19? Other restaurants and retail operations that normally offer samples are following Costco’s example.
MGM Resorts closes its Las Vegas Buffets
MGM Resorts, which operates several Las Vegas casino-hotel destinations, closed all their buffet restaurants last week. Buffet service with shared food containers and shared utensils is an even better way to spread COVID-19 than the free samples at Costco.
L.A. eatery checks your temperature
Sichuan Impression, a regional Chinese restaurant chain in Southern California, has started checking customers for fevers before letting them into the establishment. They said the measure was instituted to protect both their customers and their employees.
Epidemic experts recommend not dining out at all
Dining out – at traditional sit-down restaurants – is a bad idea, because it promotes close contact with others. Unless you table is at least 6 ft. / 2 m from the surrounding tables, you’re going to be too close to the strangers surrounding you, and you’re likely to fall within their coughing and sneezing moisture droplet zone. I’ve never seen or heard of a restaurant that could afford the floor space to set tables that far apart.
And it’s an equally bad idea to share appetizers or deserts.
Speaking of safe distancing…
A fellow in Rome, Italy, was spotted and videoed walking around town wearing a 6 ft. wide cardboard ‘doughnut’. Why? He said he wanted to spread the word and demonstrate the concept of safe distancing, in support of public health efforts to keep people safe from COVID-19.
That’s just a sample…
… Of the measures being taken by restaurant operators and others to promote safe dining and food handling during the COVID-19 pandemic. But remember, in the end, keeping yourself safe is your own, individual responsibility. Good luck…
~ Maggie J.