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COVID-19 Reopening Considerations for Restaurants

San Diego County officials were notified last night that dining at restaurants and in-store shopping can begin.

In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced restaurants and foodservice businesses to either close or shift to carry-out or delivery service only. As restaurants swiftly prepare to open their dining rooms, there are several factors to consider to preserve the health and safety of employees and guests.

Below are general recommendations we’ve gathered. Depending on the location of your business, you may need to account for additional state and local requirements or restrictions.

Employee Health and Safety

It’s important to check that employees are healthy as they report back to work. It doesn’t matter if the employee works in the front or back of the house—per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, any employee who is sick should stay home. Similarly, if an employee becomes ill or shows symptoms during a prework screening, they should be sent home.

Make sure your policies clearly indicate when ill employees can return to work. At a minimum, you should follow CDC guidelines and have employees self-quarantine for seven days from the onset of their symptoms.

It should be noted that the CDC has not mandated taking employees’ temperatures. If your establishment chooses to do so, it’s best to adopt policies that align with proper procedures and consult local health officials if you have questions. To further protect your employees’ health and safety, consider the following measures:

• Provide clear instruction and guidance so employees know what is expected during opening, prep, service and closing procedures.
• Train all employees on the importance of frequent hand-washing, the use of hand sanitizers and avoiding touching their hands to face.
• Require employees to wear a mask or face covering. Provide all personal protective equipment required for employees to do their jobs, including masks and gloves.
• Limit the number of employees allowed simultaneously in break rooms or other communal areas.

Policies may need to evolve as local regulations change, so frequent and transparent communication with employees is critical. Be transparent about employee expectations and consequences, and continue to document protocols and procedures.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

Familiarize yourself with requirements from your local health department and make sure you adhere to them. It’s important to train employees on cleaning and disinfecting procedures and protective measures per the CDC and Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, consider these measures:

• Sanitize and deep-clean your entire facility, especially if it’s been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t overlook seldom-touched surfaces.
• Utilize appropriate cleaning chemicals in food preparation and contact areas.
• Sanitize high-contact areas in the front and back of the house (e.g., touch screens, doorknobs, buttons, cooler doors and checkout counters) every two hours or after each guest leaves the area.
• Clean and sanitize table condiments, digital-ordering devices, check presenters, self-service areas and tabletops between guests. Additionally, consider providing condiments by request or offering single-use, disposable containers.
• Sanitize restrooms frequently. Sinks in restrooms should have running water and be stocked with hand soap, disposable paper towels and a plastic-lined waste container.
• Clean and sanitize reusable menus after each use. If using paper menus, discard them after each use.
• Do not use disinfecting wipes to clean more than one surface. Use one wipe per item or area, and discard them after each use or when they are visibly soiled.
• Provide hand sanitizers at entrances, exits, service counters, and any other guest touchpoints. Consider touchless solutions as well.

Food Safety 


Food safety has always been a priority for the restaurant industry. Follow and maintain food-safety practices carefully as you consider new COVID-19 safety protocols. Specifically, keep in mind the following measures:

• Change, wash and sanitize utensils frequently. Use rolled silverware and napkins stored in sealed bags.
• Employees should roll silverware in designated sanitary areas and should not pre-set tables.
• Use single-use gloves or deli tissue when handling food, if appropriate.
• Discard all out-of-date food items.
• Wrap food containers to prevent cross-contamination.
• Stock coolers at minimum levels if providing grab-and-go service.
• Close all self-service food and drink stations (e.g., coffee carafes, fountain soda machines, salad bars and buffets).
• Ensure the person in charge of foodservice operations is ServSafe certified and that their certification is up to date.
• Provide a food handling training refresher to all employees upon reopening. Ongoing education protects your business, employees and guests.

Social Distancing

Guests and employees should practice social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Consider the following to protect those who walk through your doors:

• Consider separate entrances and exits to limit customer contact with other patrons.
• Post signage at the entrance stating that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 can enter the restaurant.
• Base social distancing measures on square footage in both service and guest areas.
• Update floor plans and seating arrangements as follows:
  • Maintain 6 feet of separation between tables.
  • Leave two bar stools empty between guests who are not in the same party.
  • Apply similar rules to outdoor patio areas.
• Limit party sizes based on recommendations provided by your local and state government.
• Monitor the number of guests on your premises.
• Limit contact between wait staff and guests.
• Consider a reservations-only or call-ahead-seating process to better space guests and control party sizes.
• Ensure that guests stay separated while waiting for seating and don’t congregate in waiting or bar areas. For example, you could create floor markings or have guests wait outside—6 feet apart—or in their vehicles.
• Ensure employees and guests adhere to social distancing guidelines when using the restroom.
• Install physical barriers where practical (e.g., booth seating or partitions).
• Use technology to reduce person-to-person interactions (e.g., cashless payments, mobile ordering, menu tablets, contactless payment and mobile texting for waiting and seating updates).
• Remind outside partners or suppliers about internal distancing requirements.
• Delivery and Carryout 

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants focused on being able to provide carryout and delivery service. As dining rooms open, you can continue offering online sales, pickup and delivery to reduce the number of guests coming inside to limit face-to-face interaction. You may also consider allowing guests to preorder dine-in meals to reduce guests’ time on site. If you’re offering carryout options:
• Establish a designated pickup zone.
• Provide guides (e.g., tape on floor) or signage to inform customers of food pickup protocols.
• Offer curbside pickup.
• Practice social distancing by offering to place orders in trunks of vehicles.
• Remind third-party delivery drivers about internal distancing requirements when they are picking up orders. If you’re offering delivery options:
  • Encourage no-touch deliveries.
  • Provide order updates via text messages or phone calls.
  • Ensure coolers and other transport containers are cleaned and sanitized.
  • Maintain time and temperature controls.
  • Avoid cross-contamination (e.g., wrap food during transport).
  • Carry hand sanitizer or wipes to clean hands often.

For additional reopening resources and guidance as your business moves into COVID-19 recovery mode, please contact Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services at:

Call or Text: (858) 384-1506

EMAIL: hello@foagency.com

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Good morning,

I hope this update finds you and your family in good health.

As we continue to move through these unprecedented times, our job as your insurance agents continues to evolve as well. Please know that, like you, this is new to us. Before we share information, I want to make sure my team and I have a complete understanding so we may answer your questions accordingly.

Beginning this week, our agency received guidance from a few of our carrier partners about private passenger automobile giveback programs. In short, some insurance companies communicated that they would be refunding their clients a percentage of policy premiums due to lower usage of autos – and rightfully so. From the releases I’ve read thus far, the refunds are a percentage of one or two month’s premiums, and the insurance companies will send them directly to the policyholder.

Last evening, I started to build a webpage detailing each carrier’s plans. I intend to complete the initial page by tomorrow and will share the link with you once it’s ready. Please note, the webpage will evolve as we receive additional information from carriers about their giveback programs. As to not burden you with an email each time I update the page, I ask you to please bookmark the page and revisit it often.

Please expect one additional email from me this week once I complete the webpage. If you are not on our email list, we encourage you to like our Facebook page and adjust the settings to “see first” for ongoing updates.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Thank you for your time and patience as we work diligently to support you and communicate real-time updates. Don’t hesitate to reach me with your questions or comments.

All the best,

Mike

Below is a brief summary of how the new $2 trillion stimulus package can help small businesses.

• Unlike other SBA loans, owners do not have to put up collateral or personally guarantee the loans. They also are not required to search for a loan elsewhere before applying for the SBA loan.
• Interest rates cannot exceed 4%, and the maximum loan amount is $10 million.
• Part of the loan can be forgiven. Costs related to payroll, including health care, mortgage or rent and utility payments incurred in the eight weeks after you receive the loan can be deducted from the loan amount and not repaid. However, if you reduce your headcount at that time, that will also decrease the amount of loan forgiveness. Adding headcount will increase the amount forgiven.
• Independent contractors’ wages can be included as employee payroll costs in the loan, according to the Chamber of Commerce.
• The bill includes a payroll tax holiday. Owners have until 2022 to pay 2020 payroll taxes but will need to pay 50% by the end of 2021.

Are you a handyman, electrician, plumber, painter, remodeler, carpenter, designer or provider of another household service? During these unchartered times, we’re doing our best to provide you with ideas to support your business.

First, it is important to take care of your health and the health of your team members and your family. Know your financials, your inventory and the status of your supply chain.

Next, pivot as needed. If you typically provide services in person, as many of you do, it’s time to rethink your sales strategy.

Have you considered going online?

If you are a contractor who provides household support, then it’s time to start thinking about ways to offer tutorials or one-on-one video consultations with your clients. Here are a few examples:

Are you a plumber who fixes dishwashers?

• Allow your clients to purchase a Facetime session with you, during which time you walk them through fixing the issue themselves. Perhaps you can charge a reasonable fee that is lower than your in-person fee. Tools like Calendly are good for scheduling appointments like this.

Are you a handyman who’s good with crafts?

• There are hundreds of thousands of kids at home for the next few weeks. Can you offer an online tutorial for a build-your-own garden box, sandbox or birdhouse?
• Can you sell DIY kits with all the materials they need – then drop off the materials or have designated pick-up times?
  • Include a link to a step-by-step video that you prerecord, then post it on social media, OR, offer a live virtual training at designated times.

Are you a craftsman who installs closets?

• People are sheltering in place, which means they have more time to focus on spring cleaning and organization. Can you provide a tutorial for closet organization? Perhaps you start with a free tutorial, then offer a one-on-one service for purchase.

Here are a few places to get started with virtual calls:

• Zoom (free and paid versions)
• Google Hangouts

Now’s the time to look at how you can benefit your customers and ease their concerns. Ask them what they need and how you can be helpful during this time.

Finally, leverage social media to communicate with your audience.

We hope this brief guide gets you thinking about ways to pivot your business. If you have any ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

Michael Fusco, president and co-founder of Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services, was invited to speak at a conference of the Insurance Agency Owners Alliance, or IAOA, on January 24, 2020. The annual event drew more than 800 owners and 100 vendors and insurance companies to the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.

“The theme of my interview was to share and collaborate on ideas to help improve our sector,” says Fusco, who the meeting coordinator chose for his experience building a successful agency. “There were a lot of newbies in the audience. I shared mistakes I learned from – and expanded upon training and finding the right people.”

The interview-style session was a first for the IAOA Conference, which Fusco says evolves with each event.

“This year it was in San Diego. Next year, it’ll be in Tampa,” he says. “The group has been incredible; I’ve learned so much from interacting with fellow agency owners from around the country.”

Founded by Nick Ayers and Dave Jackson in 2015, the Insurance Agency Owners Alliance is a fast-growing association of independent insurance agency owners in the country. They aim for selfless innovation and collaboration with fellow agents by banding together for events, webinars, videos, podcasts, luncheons, and more.

“The intention is to bring independent folks together, to collaborate, to share ideas,” Fusco explains.

In addition to rubbing shoulders with other independent insurance agents, some of his strategies revolve around maintaining flexibility and continuing to make changes when necessary.

“The industry’s ever-changing, and you have to be on top of it. The technology is changing rapidly; you have to know what’s out there and stay ahead of it,” Fusco says. “Technology is everything. Automation, marketing, CRM – it’s all about tech.”

Fusco coaches fellow agents to plow through the tough parts of the business and keep learning.

“Subscribe to as many different industry-related publications as you can,” he says, suggesting reading material such as Rough Notes, Insurance Journal, and Coverager. “Learn from people who have been there and done it.”