After nearly four months of quarantine, businesses all across the nation are finally given their chance to make up what they've sadly lost. Unfortunately for those in the restaurant industry it may be a little tougher. Through shut down, they were given the chance to have takeout options. It kept places afloat, although the dine-in to to-go food ratio is pretty extreme. Before the unexpected shift due to COVID-19, dine-in sales were what kept most restaurants running, and to make that move to take out and delivery has lowered overall sales.
Now, they are given the chance to build their sales back up, but it is extremely hard with the regulations that must be followed.
As a server at a restaurant in Pennsylvania, Klinger's of Fleetwood, I have been notified of all the changes we have to make to fit the guidelines given to be able to provide seating again. As of right now, we are only able to provide outdoor seating, as our state has not progressed enough to consider indoor seating. The capacity of employees and customers has to be reduced to 50% with tables at least six feet apart. The idea of tables being more spread out does not seem like it would cause trouble, however, there is more of a chance that we will have to turn one away due to no more tables being available. That in itself makes it that much more difficult to build up what has been lost throughout these months.
We can't give out bottles of ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, or other condiments. Instead, we need to portion individual cups of everything. Masks must be worn if entering the building for any reason at all, our chairs cannot be moved from table to table, and we have some house rules to provide the best safety for all parties involved.
There is a lot of preparing to do so that we can open our restaurants to seating customers again. We want to serve you again; we miss seeing our regulars and the families of the community!
I'm sure you are just as excited to have us open, but I am writing this letter in hopes you continue to bare with us. These new rules and regulations cannot be broken and we are trying our absolute best to comply with those as well as give you all a welcoming experience. We're going to run into problems, it is bound to happen to all businesses reopening. I hope you understand all that is being done is to keep you safe. We need to grow used to this new normal, however hard that may be.
Thank you for your patience during this rough time.
Sincerely,
Hosts, Servers, Managers, and Kitchen Staff everywhere.