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With many restaurants beginning the reopening process, it is important to remember the safety protocols the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put into place. It is critical to follow these protocols if you want to keep your customers and employees safe. The transition back to in-person dining can seem daunting, but if you follow all of the guidelines and implement social distancing barriers such as restaurant sneeze guards and informative signage, the transition will likely be easier than you think.
Keep reading to uncover some quick tips for deciding where to install restaurant sneeze guards and signage within your restaurant. Our recommendations will provide you with sensible solutions for protecting both your employees and patrons.
Provide Safe Screening Opportunities
Although it is not required in all states, you may want to consider implementing precautionary measures such as temperature checks for your guests. Barriers, such as our Floor Height Standing Shields, feature an access panel that allows for non-contact screenings. This allows the person in charge of these checks to social distance from guests as they screen them.
Don’t Forget Restaurant Sneeze Guards in Your Kitchen
Although your kitchen likely isn’t the first place that comes to mind, it’s still an important place to install social distancing barriers as kitchens tend to be heavily trafficked. Consider adding our Ceiling Hanging Sneeze Guards to areas of your kitchen such as the serving bar. The small gap at the bottom allows your kitchen staff to easily hand food out to servers. These hanging sneeze guards are also adjustable in height, which means you can add them to a space of any size.
Host Stands are High Contact
The host stand is a heavily trafficked area with guests constantly coming in and out. This is a great place to consider installing barriers to promote social distancing. We offer custom printed restaurant sneeze guards that provide the perfect opportunity to add your company logo or name onto your host stand shield. Social distancing measures will be in place while simultaneously advertising your company!
Add Restaurant Sneeze Guards Between Tables
Some states have started to allow full capacity for indoor dining. With things getting crowded again, it’s a good idea to install restaurant sneeze guards wherever possible if you intend to seat at capacity.
For restaurants with booth seating, consider adding dividers such as these Booth Divider Partitions. These partitions feature durable mounting that allows for easy installation. Since these dividers require minimal set-up they can easily be moved between booths if needed. These partitions allow for an element of physical separation, which may help your guests feel more at ease when dining at your restaurant.
For restaurants with traditional table seating, we also offer Floor Standing Dividers. These dividers can be placed between tables to provide a social distancing barrier between patrons. As an added bonus, these partitions also offer very easy installation. They are free-standing so you can quickly shift them to new locations based upon your restaurant’s occupancy.
Signs and Messages Can Act as Barriers, Too
It is important to have clear signs and messages posted regarding your restaurant’s expectations when it comes to social distancing guidelines. Enforcing rules such as keeping a six-foot distance from other customers or employees at all times essentially creates natural barriers by reminding people to stay appropriately spaced out.
On top of social spacing requirements, many states currently have mask policies in place. If your state is requiring masks, it’s important to add signage that clearly states your establishment’s expectations for guests to wear masks as well. Face coverings are most essential in areas where social distancing may be difficult, such as your restaurant’s waiting area or any highly trafficked walkways, so be sure to add additional signage in these areas.
Install Restaurant Sneeze Guards and Signage in Restrooms
Restrooms are also a great place to add additional signage that encourages proper sanitation protocols. We recommend hanging up several signs throughout the restroom and surrounding areas that remind patrons to maintain proper hygiene. Prevention is one of the simplest and most practical ways to stop the spread of the virus, so it is important to ensure patrons and employees are constantly reminded of this. The CDC offers several printable handwashing sheets that can be displayed in your restaurant’s restrooms.
Restrooms are also a wise place to install social distancing barriers. If your restaurant has multi-person restrooms it is important to provide barriers between frequently-used areas like sinks and stalls. Our Restroom Sink Partitions feature convenient velcro straps which makes it easy to attach them to your existing walls or mirrors. We also offer Partition Extenders that can be added to areas in your restroom that need additional height coverage. These dividers allow you to extend any existing partitions within your restrooms, such as stall walls.
Bottom Line
All things considered, this is an unprecedented time that is unlike any other scenario restaurant owners have faced before. Reopening your business can be an intimidating process with all the rules and regulations that are currently in place. Social distancing barriers can help you and your customers feel more at ease as you begin the process of reopening your restaurant.