Reality check: your restaurant or bakery may shut down again due to government mandates or positive COVID cases. How should you handle the re-opening and re-closing cycle?

Here’s the situation:

• Restaurants face re-closings as employees test positive for COVID-19.
• Some cities like Houston are considering reinstating stay-at-home orders for opening too fast.
• In some cities or counties, masks are required for customers when not eating/drinking.

It seems like restaurant operators, not government officials, are shouldering the responsibility of public safety these days.

Which begs the question:

Are you prepared to handle another closing and reopening cycle?

Are you prepared to deal with aggravated customers who think that wearing a mask is an option or (worse yet) that wearing a mask is infringing on their civil rights?

With no playbook on how to navigate these unchartered waters, it’s time to DIY your own policies.

Here are 4 resources to start with:

1) The CDC

The CDC has some guidelines around restaurant reopening, but is lacking on how to officially proceed if an employee tests positive. See the latest recommendations here:

• Considerations for Restaurants and Bars [CDC] 
• CDC Guidelines to Open Your Restaurant or Bar [FSR Magazine]
• An Employee Has COVID-19. Should You Close Your Restaurant? [Restaurant Business]

2) National Restaurant Association

If you’re looking to reassure the public about your sanitation and food safety efforts, look to the National Restaurant Association’s newest program. According to Restaurant Business, they’re launching a program later this summer to flag establishments that have undergone special training and met all ServSafe Dining Commitment recommendations.

To achieve a certificate for public display, restaurants will need to:

• Follow the association’s Reopening Guidance protocols and any standards that were set by the brand’s franchisor or owner;
• Follow all COVID-related laws and standards set by their local and state governments;
• Have at least one staff member per location who has earned ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification, a ServSafe variation for supervisors;
• Have 75% of their staff certified under both the ServeSafe Food Handler program, the curriculum for line-level employees, and the ServSafe COVID-19 Reopening course, a variation added by the association specifically to help dining establishments safely reopen their dining rooms.

If your restaurant is located in Texas, you can already undergo training to earn a Texas Restaurant Promise Certified and Verified decal, via Texas Restaurant Association and A Closer Look.

3) Other Restaurants

Look to what other local restaurants are doing after positive COVID tests. A few suggestions:

1. Mandate pre-shift temperature checks for employees and encourage them to report any symptoms or positive test results.
2. Black Sheep Restaurant Group, based in Hong Kong, put out a fantastic guidebook for everyday safety protocols.
3. Momofuku just released their own Health & Safety Playbook.
4. Zoli’s Pizza in DFW has gone above and beyond with transparency on social media as several of their locations were shut down to deep clean and test all employees.

4) Local Health Department

Talk to your local health department NOW about:

1. Their suggestions for sanitation and other health and safety procedures.
2. How they’d want you to proceed if an employee tested positive.

Taking this initiative will only foster a strong relationship with an important ally these days.

How to handle mask excuses

Back up your policies with science, not feelings.

Masks and face coverings, when worn properly over the nose and mouth with several layers of fabric, have been shown to reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus through airborne droplets.

Have a script for employees to use if customers do not comply with masks on-premise.

Think through a few specific objections and role play your answers. For example:

• “I’m just running in and out.”
• “How come I have to wear a mask to pay for takeout and they don’t have masks at that table?”
• “I didn’t bring a mask with me.”
• “I feel fine, I don’t need a mask.”
• “It’s my right not to wear a mask.”
• “I already tested negative.”
• “Wearing a mask obstructs my breathing.”
• “I have medical clearance to not wear a mask.”

By the way, that last claim is categorically false. Learn more about bogus documents exempting customers from wearing masks here.

For even more prep, check out the the top 10 excuses and rebuttals for not wearing a mask.

Once you create your safety policies…

Tell everyone about your mask and sickness policies, and tell them everywhere: outdoor signage, social media, email newsletter, website, etc. 

Bottom line

Plan ahead, and be open and honest if you want to earn community respect (and long-term loyalty).

Know that you’re gonna piss off some customers who think they know better. Better to lose them now than gain a public health hazard.

When it comes to turning guests away (for any reason), Black Sheep Hospitality says it well: 

“They may be upset in the moment, but it is absolutely the right thing to do to protect your team and your guests. It feels uncomfortable because we are in the business of hospitality, but we have to understand the reality of the new world we exist in.”