July 16, 2020: Many bars and restaurants that have been shuttered since March have opened patios and once again welcoming customers. With that will be a call back to work for bartenders, servers, hosts, cooks and support staff after a lengthy layoff.
Photo by Gita Febriani on Unsplash
As the patios open up, Corby Spirit and Wine would like to offer a little friendly advice to help keep things running smoothly:
- It’s not business as usual. While it is welcome news across the board to have some life breathed back into the restaurant and bar sector, understand they will be operating on a scaled model with limited space and heightened health and safety measures in place. Be patient and respectful both of what your server may have gone through while laid off and currently while coming back to work. They will no doubt be working on a new routine.
- This isn’t the time to hang out. Space is limited and expect a lot of people who haven’t been able to hit up their favourite establishment to want to get back out for a meal. Get your spot, order your meal and head out — but if you are going to stick around, make sure you are doing so while spending money on drinks or snacks. The businesses could certainly use the boost.
- Bring a good mood. It has been a while since you have been able to go out, so do so with a smile on your face. Be prepared to endure a few hiccups and try to take them in stride. Nobody is out there trying to screw up. Mistakes happen, and even more so as we all try to figure out this new norm. Be a little more understanding than usual.
- Respect physical distancing. Public health measures requesting two-metre separation between people remain in effect. You will see tables more spread out to accommodate this measure. Maintain that distance between you and your server, other staff and patrons, and don’t move tables or chairs around without checking with staff first.
- Don’t go out if you are sick.It has to be said. If you are feeling under the weather, have a cough or the sniffles, just stay home. Whether it could be COVID-19 or not, awareness of germs and illness is heightened, and stress is understandably high about potential spread of the virus.
