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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.”

How to Celebrate Safely

If childhood memories of 4^th of July festivities include such harmless fun as swimming holes and homemade ice cream, feel free to revive those traditions this year. But if you intend to “have a blast” (literally) until dawn’s early light, you’d be wise to take a few things into consideration.

Burn in the U.S.A.

The “rocket’s red glare” is a patriotic concept, but not when it’s the red glare of police lights because of illegal rockets you’re setting off in the backyard. If your city regulations forbid personal fireworks – heed the law.

But if you live in an area that allows you to buy, sell and use fireworks, have fun – but be cautious. You don’t want to be responsible for starting a blaze. Keep a water bucket or garden hose nearby while igniting and watching them light the sky. Don’t place fireworks in your pockets and be sure to dispose of them properly. Soak the fireworks and their packaging in water before discarding them in the trash. 

Freedom isn’t Accident-Free

If your neighborhood residents are allowed to set off personal fireworks which means you’ll be lighting up a Roman candle, a box of sparklers or a Piccolo Pete, be extremely careful. Remember that there’s a risk of burns, blindness and other possible injuries when you handle fireworks.

A couple of the worst offenders are bottle rockets and the seemingly tame sparklers. You can injure your fingers while twirling the long wands in the air because they burn at high temperatures. Plus, unfortunately, we tend to let kids handle sparklers when they’re too young to heed safety precautions.

There are several effective ways to minimize the possibility of a 4^th of July emergency:

• Point fireworks away from people, houses and vegetation.
• Don’t try to relight a dud, which is a firework that doesn’t ignite the first time.
• Never handle fireworks if you’ve been drinking alcohol.
• Wear safety goggles.

Stars & Scrapes

Celebrating outdoors with friends can mean fun in the sun. But sometimes mishaps turn a great day into a disaster. Consider the following rules:

• Hire or assign a lifeguard if swimming is a part of the party. Drownings often occur during group events, as no one assumes responsibility to keep a watchful eye.
• Use insect repellant to prevent insect bites and cover your skin with sunblock to minimize burning.
• Monitor grills at all times to keep little ones from burning fingers. Keep individuals at least 3 feet away from the barbecue.

In all likelihood, it will be an incredible nation’s birthday as always. But taking the time to go over details can make doubly sure it’s a safe holiday and leaves you with only memories of a good time.

After all, remembering the 4^th of July should include signing the Declaration of Independence, not signing an incident report!

Inland marine insurance is often misunderstood. In fact, most business owners don’t know what inland marine insurance is, despite the fact that this type of coverage could be vital in protecting some of the owner’s most valuable property.

Most of the confusion comes from the name.  Inland marine insurance was originally conceived to protect goods as they were shipped overseas. Today, however, the reach of inland marine insurance has increased to cover goods in transit over land, and even those that aren’t in transit at all.

More specifically, inland marine insurance covers a couple of different areas. One of the primary coverage that it offers is for valuable items in transit (over the water or on dry land). This could include anything that needs to move from one site to the other, such as equipment, rare art, high-priced merchandise, etc. … It can also include tools, both expensive and inexpensive, that your crew takes with them when they perform a job.

Many accidents happen during transit. A vehicle transporting the item could get into an accident, workers could drop or bump fragile items while moving it, or it could just be damaged from general rough handling. If any of this happens, inland marine insurance can cover the damage.

Beyond transit, there are other areas where inland marine insurance provides coverage that other types of insurance might not. For example, inland marine insurance also covers buildings that are under construction (builders’ risk/course of construction), computer data and accounts receivable.

Many business owners are surprised to learn that their business’s data and accounts receivables can be covered by insurance. Consider how valuable your data is, including all of your accounting software, lead tracking data, policies, procedures, and other electronic assets. If that data is lost or corrupted, it could drastically affect your profits, at least in the short term.

Finally, construction companies and contractors often overlook or decide not to purchase, inland marine insurance.  Thus, if tools or equipment are stolen, whether it be from a work truck, job site, or storage location, other more commonly purchased policies will NOT cover this type of loss.  Inland marine insurance must be placed to protect against stolen tools and equipment.

As you can see, inland marine insurance is a relatively complicated type of insurance, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored or overlooked. It’s best to speak to a knowledgeable insurance broker to determine if inland marine insurance is a good idea for your business.

At Fusco & Orsini Services, we’d be happy to provide you with a free consultation to more thoroughly explain all the features of inland marine insurance and to help you determine if your business needs the protection of an inland marine insurance policy. Call us at (858) 384-1506 or contact us through our website.

A situation: Let’s say that you have some big potential clients coming into your business to learn more about the services that your company offers. You and your team have spent weeks putting the finishing touches on a presentation, and you’re sure that you’ll blow the potential clients away. As an after-thought, you send an intern out to bring back sandwiches for everyone.

Well, even though your presentation does impress your visitors and they sign on right away, not everything goes according to plan. The intern gets into an accident on his way back with the food, and the other driver sues your company for damages.

Many business owners don’t realize that any time they send an employee out for an errand or any other purpose related to the business, their company can be held liable if that employee causes an accident, injuries or damages, even if they’re driving their own car.

That’s why if your employees make trips for business purposes in their personal vehicles, you need to make sure that your company is covered by a non-owned auto liability insurance policy (it can be added to a business auto policy or business owners  policy(BOP) for a very small cost).

In a nutshell, non-owned auto insurance covers your company in the event that an employee causes damages or injuries while using their personal vehicle for company business.  You should definitely consider purchasing non-owned auto insurance if employees regularly use their own vehicles for business purposes such as:

• Picking up supplies for the business
• Picking up lunch or other meals for the business
• Delivering supplies to customers or clients
• Driving to meetings with vendors
• Making house calls to customers
• Driving to events on behalf of the business

It’s important to note that non-owned auto liability insurance only covers liabilities related to the business, not the employee. That means that if an employee has an accident while driving to the home of a customer, the non-owned auto insurance coverage will cover the business if it gets sued but will not cover any of the employee’s liabilities. In most cases, the employee’s own auto insurance should cover their own liabilities.  Furthermore, non-owned auto liability does not cover physical damage to non-owned vehicles.  Thus, in the example used above, the damage caused to the employee’s vehicle would not be covered by the employer’s policy.

Certain personal auto insurance policies now exclude claims that arise when the car was being used for business. It’s important for your employees to be aware of whether or not their personal auto policy has this exclusion, as it could put them at significant risk if they get in an accident when driving for the company.

Overall, it’s best to sit down with a knowledgeable insurance broker to determine if your company could benefit from non-owned auto insurance. At Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services, we’ll discuss how your employees use their vehicles to see if non-owned auto insurance is right for you. We can also help your employees find a strong and comprehensive personal auto insurance that won’t exclude coverage for accidents that occur during business use.

To learn more about non-owned auto insurance, give us a call at (858) 384-1506 or visit www.foagency.com.

If you or your employees regularly travel in rental cars as part of the job, or if your business rents trucks or other vehicles in order to provide a service, then it’s a very good idea to purchase hired auto liability insurance (it can be added to your business auto policy or business owners policy for a small cost).

Hired auto insurance protects your company in the event that you get sued for an accident, injuries or damages that you or an employee caused while driving in a rented (hired) vehicle when being used for business.

Many business owners don’t realize that if an employee is driving a rented vehicle for company business, the company could be held liable in the event of an accident for third-party injury or damage.

It’s important to note that hired auto liability insurance does not cover damages to the rental vehicle, so it’s probably a good idea for you and your employees to buy physical damage rental car insurance even if you already have a hired auto on your business auto policy.

You also need to be aware that your employee could still be liable if they cause an accident in a rental vehicle.  Hired auto insurance only covers the company if it gets sued, and not the employee.

Whenever your employees are on the road as part of the job, you need to make sure that your business is covered. If your employee is the cause of a bad accident, the damages could easily overwhelm their personal auto insurance policy or the basic rental car insurance policy. That means injured parties are going to come looking to your business for damages.

Further, your liability extends beyond your employees.  For example, if you (the business owner) happen to drive rented or leased vehicles at any time, you too are liable in the event of an accident.  Thus, it is important to add hired auto liability coverage to your business auto policy.

Hired auto insurance is relatively inexpensive, usually less than $150 a year, and can be added to a business auto policy or business owners (BOP) policy. In our opinion, purchasing hired auto coverage is a must if your and/or your employees rent vehicles even just a couple of times a year.

Want to learn more about hired auto insurance or see what policies are available for your business? Give Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services a call at (858) 384-1506 to schedule a no obligation, no pressure consultation with one of our insurance brokers. We’ll sit down and discuss the personal insurance needs of your business and then help you find the most cost-efficient, comprehensive coverage available. You can also visit www.foagency.com for more information.