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Operating Safely GUIDE

How restaurants and foodservice operations can adopt safe practices while operating efficiently

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WHO IS THIS FOR? | FEDERAL AND LOCAL REQUIREMENTS OVERVIEW | WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT | BEST PRACTICES FOR RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE OPERATIONS | Employee Wellness Check | Managing Employee Illness | Communications Templates | Deep Cleaning Checklist | Managing Indoor Air | A ZONAL APPROACH | FRONT-OF-HOUSE RECOMMENDATIONS | BACK-OF-HOUSE RECOMMENDATIONS | FORMAT-SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

FORMAT-SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

Cafeterias:

(Universities, hospitals, workplaces, etc.)

The fluid, self-service nature of a cafeteria dining environment may require additional intervention. In addition to the generally provided guidance, you may consider the following:

Pre-Arrival/Arrival
  • Use technology for menu, reservations, pre-ordering, and pickup to reduce dine-in capacity.
  • Leverage workplace and organizational communications to ensure student or employee population is aware of the requirements prior to arrival.
  • Limit occupancy to support current social distancing requirements. At high-volume entries, provide queue lines with floor/ground graphics to indicate appropriate social distancing while awaiting entry. Post likely wait times along the queue, to encourage pre-order and pickup.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers along the queue if it is lengthy.
  • As possible, move pickup outside the dining area to segment traffic and decrease occupancy. Consider individual and batched deliveries (Building 12, 1st floor break room, etc.).
  • Provide online and physical visual map to location of line stations within the cafeteria, to help diners with ”motor planning” prior to physical arrival.
Entry/Exit
  • Consider a dedicated entry and exit to completely segment arriving and departing diners.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers at entry and exit.
  • Use floor graphics and signage to indicate required distancing. Post expectations of entry (fever-free, face masks, etc.) at door.
  • As possible, prop doors open to minimize contact. For secure doors that require badge access, use proximity triggers so individual badges do not come in contact with communal surfaces. Other technologies may provide true hands-free, contactless secure entry.
  • Position a helpful person at entry to answer questions and avoid over-capacity.
Cafeteria line/Dining Room
  • Reduce menu & active line stations to better support social distancing for both staff and diners. Clearly sign station’s menu offering so it is visible from a distance to decrease wandering.
  • Institute clear one-way cafeteria line circulation to minimize confusion and promote 6’ distances between diners. Provide “off-ramps” in case someone needs to circle back, in order to minimize frustration and trip time.
  • Suspend self-serve soup, salad bars, bakery cases, and buffets as required by local authorities. Shift to line service and consider utilizing individually-wrapped items or even table service.
  • Provide additional protection between servers and diners in the cafeteria line (plex panels, etc.). Provide reasonable pass-through for food items to minimize contact, and clearly communicate expectations (signage) at that point to avoid confusion.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the dining room, and sanitary wipe dispensers and trash cans near any chill cases with handles.
  • Drinks should be individually bottled/canned. No self-serve beverages. Fountain beverages may be poured by waitstaff and placed on a counter for diner pickup.
  • Remove communal self-serve condiment and cutlery stations. Single-serve condiments to be provided upon request, and cutlery provided with each order.
  • Remove extra tables and chairs so social distancing is more easily enforced. Remove or overtly block portions of large, communal tables.
  • Provide floor graphics that define circulation lanes and pathways to dining room and exit.
  • As possible, have diners bus their own tables, and provide additional bussing stations with ample circulation space. Large automated bussing stations may require floor markings and instructional signage to help manage traffic flow.
  • Ensure clarity of recycle, composting, and trash signage to avoid confusion, decrease dwell time, and promote sanitation.
  • If acoustics are appropriate, consider broadcasting helpful announcements between songs in the dining room, to help people better understand the new expectations and answer unasked questions.
  • Remove self-serve plates and trays and have tow area staffed to pass clean plates to guests through plexiglas window
  • No self-service whatsoever

Quick service/fast casual restaurants: format-specific considerations:

The counter-service nature of a quick service or fast casual dining environment may require more direct, simpler communication. In addition to the generally provided guidance, you may consider the following:

Pre-Arrival/Arrival
  • Use technology for menu, reservations, pre-ordering, and pickup to reduce dine-in capacity.
  • Limit occupancy to support current social distancing requirements. Begin queuing outside to meter entering diners and promote availability of other options (drive through, curbside pickup, etc.).
  • Enliven outdoor seating area to increase its appeal. Consider disposable paper menu and table service to overcome interior capacity challenges during peak periods.
  • Create ample dedicated parking spaces for tech-enabled curbside pickup; ensure these are visible to promote the service’s availability, but position away from entry door to minimize contact between takeout runners and entering diners.
Entry/Exit
  • Consider a dedicated entry and exit to completely segment arriving and departing diners. If not possible, ensure clear view from interior to exterior through entry doors, so potentially passing customers can give each other space as they pass by.
  • Use floor graphics and signage to indicate required distances. Post expectations of entry (fever-free, face masks, etc.) at door, prior to entry.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers at entry and exit.
Dining Room
  • Reduce menu & active POS stations to better support social distancing for both staff and diners.
  • Institute clear one-way order line circulation to minimize confusion and promote 6’ distances between diners.
  • Suspend self-serve soup, salad bars, bakery cases, and buffets as required by local authorities. Shift to line service or table service.
  • Provide additional protection between cashiers and diners at the order counter (plex panels, etc.) Clearly communicate expectations (signage) at that point to avoid confusion.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the dining room, and sanitary wipe dispensers and trash cans near any chill cases with handles.
  • Drinks should be individually bottled/canned. No self-serve beverages. Fountain beverages may be poured by waitstaff and placed on a counter for diner pickup.
  • Remove communal self-serve condiment and cutlery stations. Single-serve condiments to be provided upon request, and cutlery provided with each order.
  • If tables are moveable, remove tables and chairs to suit decreased capacity requirements. Remove or overtly block portions of large, communal tables. Overtly block all immoveable tables and chairs so they will not be occupied.
  • Provide floor graphics that define circulation lanes and pathways to dining room and exit.
  • No counter pickup. All orders should be delivered to seated patrons, even those destined for takeout. Encourage waiting in car or outdoor seating area.
  • Encourage diners to bus their own tables, and provide additional bussing stations with ample circulation space.
  • Ensure clarity of recycle, composting, and trash signage to avoid confusion, decrease dwell time, and promote sanitation.
  • If acoustics are appropriate, consider broadcasting helpful announcements between songs in the dining room, to help people better understand the new expectations and answer unasked questions.
  • No self-service whatsoever
  • Fast Casual Restaurants can designate a sole employee handling order taking/CS for delivery/pickup stations; another in a designated area handling safe packing of meals

Quick service/fast casual restaurants: format-specific considerations:

The counter-service nature of a quick service or fast casual dining environment may require more direct, simpler communication. In addition to the generally provided guidance, you may consider the following:

Pre-Arrival/Arrival
  • Use technology for menu, reservations, pre-ordering, and pickup to reduce dine-in capacity.
  • Limit occupancy to support current social distancing requirements. Begin queuing outside to meter entering diners and promote availability of other options (drive through, curbside pickup, etc.).
  • Enliven outdoor seating area to increase its appeal. Consider disposable paper menu and table service to overcome interior capacity challenges during peak periods.
  • Create ample dedicated parking spaces for tech-enabled curbside pickup; ensure these are visible to promote the service’s availability, but position away from entry door to minimize contact between takeout runners and entering diners.
Entry/Exit
  • Consider a dedicated entry and exit to completely segment arriving and departing diners. If not possible, ensure clear view from interior to exterior through entry doors, so potentially passing customers can give each other space as they pass by.
  • Use floor graphics and signage to indicate required distances. Post expectations of entry (fever-free, face masks, etc.) at door, prior to entry.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers at entry and exit.
Dining Room
  • Reduce menu & active POS stations to better support social distancing for both staff and diners.
  • Institute clear one-way order line circulation to minimize confusion and promote 6’ distances between diners.
  • Suspend self-serve soup, salad bars, bakery cases, and buffets as required by local authorities. Shift to line service or table service.
  • Provide additional protection between cashiers and diners at the order counter (plex panels, etc.) Clearly communicate expectations (signage) at that point to avoid confusion.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the dining room, and sanitary wipe dispensers and trash cans near any chill cases with handles.
  • Drinks should be individually bottled/canned. No self-serve beverages. Fountain beverages may be poured by waitstaff and placed on a counter for diner pickup.
  • Remove communal self-serve condiment and cutlery stations. Single-serve condiments to be provided upon request, and cutlery provided with each order.
  • If tables are moveable, remove tables and chairs to suit decreased capacity requirements. Remove or overtly block portions of large, communal tables. Overtly block all immoveable tables and chairs so they will not be occupied.
  • Provide floor graphics that define circulation lanes and pathways to dining room and exit.
  • No counter pickup. All orders should be delivered to seated patrons, even those destined for takeout. Encourage waiting in car or outdoor seating area.
  • Encourage diners to buss their own tables, and provide additional bussing stations with ample circulation space.
  • Ensure clarity of recycle, composting, and trash signage to avoid confusion, decrease dwell time, and promote sanitation.
  • If acoustics are appropriate, consider broadcasting helpful announcements between songs in the dining room, to help people better understand the new expectations and answer unasked questions.
  • No self-service whatsoever
  • Fast casual restaurants can designate a sole employee to handle order taking and counter service for pickup and delivery stations. Another employee can assigned to a designated area for safe packing of orders to go.

Food courts: format-specific considerations:

(Malls, airports, etc.)

The fluid, self-service, multi-operator nature of food courts features aspects of QSRs, cafeterias, and casual dining establishments. There are 3 points of entry to consider: general entry to the zone, specific entry to each brand’s queue, and entry to the dining area. In addition to the generally provided guidance, you may consider the following:

Pre-Arrival/Arrival
  • Use technology for menu, pre-ordering/payment, and pickup to reduce dwell time at counter.
  • Place automatic hand sanitizer throughout the space.
  • Provide ample circulation space in front of service counters, independent of actual queuing space, to allow people to browse visually.
Entry/Exit
  • Define entry and exit points of the food court zone with stanchions or planters. Post expectations of entry (fever-free, face masks, etc.) and automatic hand sanitizer dispensers at at the entry/exit point.
  • Create a stanchioned, structured queue for each tenant brand, completely segmenting their diners from adjacent offerings.
  • Use floor graphics and signage to indicate required distances within each brand’s queue.
  • Position a helpful person at queue to answer questions and avoid potential over-capacity.
  • Define entry and exit points to the dining area with stanchions or planters. Re-post expectations of entry (fever-free, face masks, etc.) and position automatic hand sanitizer dispensers at at the entry/exit.
  • Consider funneling all departing diners out of the dining area through a large, centralized exit aisle, guiding them away from entering customers who have yet to place an order so those populations interact as little as possible.
Counter Service/Dining Room
  • Reduce tenant brand’s menu & active line stations to better support social distancing for both staff and diners. Menus should be easily visible from a distance to decrease wandering.
  • Consider creating a clear one-way dining room circulation route to minimize confusion and promote 6’ distances between diners. Provide “off-ramps” in case someone needs to circle back, in order to minimize frustration and dwell time.
  • Provide additional protection between staff and diners (plex panels, etc.).
  • At each counter, separate order and pickup point as much as possible. Provide designated waiting spots with floor graphics, and only allow a new customer to enter the queue when a waiting customer has received their food and departed. Minimize time spent at the counter.
  • Provide reasonable pass-through for food items to minimize contact, and clearly communicate expectations (signage) about how food is delivered to avoid confusion.
  • No self-serve beverages. Fountain beverages may be poured by waitstaff and delivered with order.
  • Drinks should be individually bottled/canned
  • Remove communal self-serve condiment and cutlery stations. Single-serve condiments to be provided upon request, and cutlery provided with each order.
  • Remove extra tables and chairs so social distancing is more easily enforced. Remove or overtly block portions of large, communal tables.
  • Provide floor graphics that define circulation lanes and pathways to dining room and exit.
  • Encourage diners to bus their own tables, and provide additional bussing stations with ample circulation space. Bussing stations may require floor markings and instructional signage to help manage traffic flow.
  • Ensure clarity of recycle, composting, and trash signage to avoid confusion, decrease dwell time, and promote sanitation.
  • If acoustics are appropriate, consider broadcasting helpful announcements between songs in the dining room, to help people better understand the new expectations and answer unasked questions.

Bars and lounges: format-specific considerations

(Pubs, hotels, etc.)

The general Blueprint guidance is applicable to bars and lounges, but there are some special considerations, given the character of the environment, presence of alcohol, and more varied seating types. Bars and lounges may also be subject to different or additional state or local restrictions, as compared to restaurants.

Pre-Arrival/Arrival
  • Limit occupancy to support current social distancing requirements. Begin queuing outside to meter entering patrons and promote availability of other options (takeout, delivery, curbside pickup, etc.).
  • Enliven appropriately licensed outdoor seating areas to increase appeal. Consider disposable paper menu and outdoor table service to overcome interior capacity challenges during peak periods. Adhere to local liquor laws that may impact sales and exterior seating.
Entry/Exit
  • As possible, consider dedicated entry and exit to completely segment arriving and departing patrons.
  • Provide a clear view from interior to exterior through entry doors or adjacent window, as well as sufficient circulation space, so passing customers can avoid collisions and maintain 6’ of distance through narrower entryways as they pass.
  • Provide guidance on how diners should pass each other when space is very constrained.
Bar Service/Dining Room
  • Menu boards should be easily visible from a distance to decrease need to approach bar and potentially replace disposable menus.
  • Provide additional protection between staff and patrons at bar (plex panels, etc.).
  • If bar service service is allowed, separate order and pickup point as much as possible. Suggest patrons wait for their order at their table, or approach the bar only when invited to do so.
  • Do not allow people to congregate at the bar, and do not allow people to eat or drink while standing.
  • If bar service is allowed, provide reasonable pass-through for food and beverages to minimize contact. Clearly communicate expectations (signage) about how food and beverages will be delivered to avoid confusion.
  • No self-serve beverages or communal food items of any kind (nuts, etc.).
  • Remove communal self-serve condiment and cutlery stations. Single-serve condiments to be provided upon request, and cutlery provided with each order.
  • Remove extra tables and chairs so social distancing is more easily enforced. Remove or overtly block portions of large, communal tables. Remove or overtly block soft seating areas to achieve 6’ distance between parties. Reinforce maximum party size in casual seating areas.
  • Bar and counter seating is discouraged, and possibly not allowed. If opened, ensure bar seats are 6’ apart and limit party size to avoid frequent reconfiguration of barstools by patrons.
  • As appropriate, consider requesting patrons bus their own tables, and provide additional bussing stations with ample circulation space. Bussing stations may require instructional signage and stanchions to help manage traffic flow.

This information is guidance only. It does not constitute legal, medical or safety advice, nor is it a formal endorsement of recommendation of a particular response.

 Back-OF-HOUSE RECOMMENDATIONS

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