SAFETY FIRST

OUR SAFETY

GUIDELINES

As mandated by Miami-Dade County

Dining establishments in Miami-Dade must follow these protocols to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of both patrons and staff. It applies to any legally established dining use, including ALL DAY.

Recommendations are in conformance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization, and the Florida Department of Health guidelines. Revisions may be recommended when advisable based on future health indicators.

Guest Experience

Guests must wear masks at all times unless actively eating or drinking.

Parties must wait in vehicles for their tables. If they walked or took public transportation, they must wait at designated 6 foot distance marked areas.
Hands-free sanitizer is available at the entrance, as well as locations throughout the dining area. Personal sanitizer is provided at each table.
Staff maintains social distance from customers as escorting guests to a table.
Guests must wear masks or a face covering that covers the mouth and nose as they leave their tables.

Guests must maintain social distancing as exiting the restaurant.

Tables

No self-service of any kind including will be available through phase 1. Our tables are also not pre-set; necessary items are only brought to tables after guests have sat down.

Menus are available on our website, directly or through the use of a QR code. Sanitized devices with digital menus are available for those without access to a device. Signage will instruct the customers on the use of our digital menu.
Roll ups will be provided to guests with flatware.
Hand sanitizers are available at each table upon arrival.
Tables and chairs are sanitized mechanically, using hydrogen peroxide, after each party’s use, or every 60 minutes if not used.
Payment devices are sanitized after each use.
All employees at all times, especially when approaching tables, are wearing masks.
The server and other staff maintain maximum social distance feasible while interacting with customers.
Our operational procedures maintain a minimal number of staff that approach tables.

Restroom

Entrance into the building is for restroom use only, and a staff member will open the door for guests who need to come in. Guests must wear masks to enter the restaurant and use the restroom.
Restrooms are designated single use for Phase 1, with exceptions for special needs guests.
Our restrooms' high touch surfaces are disinfected hourly (door handles, sink levers, manual dispensers, accessibility fixtures).
Toilets are cleaned with commercial disinfectant solution.
If a known, or suspected person used the restaurant restroom, any cleaning equipment used, such as mop, mophead, wiping cloths, must be discarded after.
A trash bin is available within the restroom, near the door, so they may dispose of paper towels.

Facility

We have self-dispensing hand sanitizer at the entrance to the restaurant.

A trash bin next to hand sanitizing dispensers are designated and labeled for PPE (personal protective equipment).
We ask that those waiting for pick-up order wait in their vehicles when possible. Otherwise we have visible floor markings for appropriate 6-foot distancing for each party in any waiting areas to maintain distancing guidelines. We also have markings on the floor signaling a 6-foot distance from service/pick-up window to protect both guests and team.
Doors and door handles will be disinfected every 30 minutes, as an extra precaution, since they will not be in use during service.

Operational Preparations

Supervisory Procedures

A manager who is trained on the CDC, the State, and Federal guidelines is present every shift. They are assigned to monitor and supervise the food, equipment, procedures, and management of the health and safety measures for restaurant guests and staff. Our chef and sous chef are also trained on the guidelines, and at least one of them is always present and monitoring the kitchen.

Records are kept documenting worker health and in case of absenteeism due to infections, especially related to respiratory infections.
Closing Procedures in case of exposure are documented that include procedures to quickly mobilize to shut down the restaurant, notify all staff and execute deep cleaning protocols per CDC guidelines.
We keep a logbook of actions, measures, and improvements implemented based on our experiences and the things we have learned as we progress through new phases.
Records of staff training are kept and include date of training, type of training noting the amount of time of training, and continuing training.
Announcements are made every 30 minutes reminding employees to wash their hands, and sanitize all surface areas. These messages also include social distancing measures, if needed.
We will be operating exclusively outdoors, under covered arcade seating for Phase 1 and have formulated operational plans to accommodate for inclement weather that maintain social distancing guidelines. Tables that are subject to rain will be moved inside, and unavailable for guests.

Capacity Limitations

Physical distancing is critical to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing protocols are set in place and observed by staff.
Our tables are outside only, and all distance of 6 feet between parties, and waiting areas.
A party limit of 6 persons is maintained for parties of the same or different households.
Accomodations can be made easily for guests with disabilities, on an as needed basis.
Tables are arranged such that the distance from the back of one chair to the back of another chair is at least 6 feet apart, and guests face each other from a distance of at least 3 feet, if from different household units.
Our outdoor dining area is managed, operated, and maintained as an integral part of our establishment, and located within our building’s arcade walkway area.
The exterior of the outdoor dining area is clearly delineated with the sidewalk, columns, and plants.
Our outdoor area complies with handicap accessibility requirements, and provides for a minimum clear and open pathway of 36 inches.
All sanitation standards and mandates are observed in our outdoor dining area.

Employee Procedures

Training ensures all restaurant staff have a clear understanding of how a business will be operating with all necessary health & safety protocols.

Staff working in the restaurant are provided with written instructions and training on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 per existing Florida Department of Health literature.

Health and Temperature Screening

In order to be scheduled for work our team must present negative Covid-19 test results.
Per our Food Safety Management System (FSMS), staff who are unwell or have symptoms of COVID-19 are not allowed to come to work.
In order to clock in, employees must take their temperature at home, or with a provided contactless thermometer before entering the store, and verify that:
- They do not have a fever (> 99.5ºF), and that they have not experienced a fever, cough (any kind, dry or productive), sore throat, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties, fatigue, child, muscle pain, headache, or loss of taste or smell since their last shift.
- They have not come into contact with anyone who has at least two of the symptoms listed above since their last shift.
- They have not come into contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19 since their last shift.
Employees are aware that for the time being, clocking in is a declaration that the above verifications have been met.
Employees are required to spray the clock-in device (iPad) and contactless thermometer with sanitizer. We use hydrogen peroxide as a sanitizer for surfaces, so they must allow the sanitizer to work for 1 minute, and before wiping with a single use paper towel.

Handwashing

Employees will wash hands and change gloves (if applicable to workstation) at least every 30 minutes and every time a team member changes tasks (including upon arrival at the restaurant before starting work).
Hand cleaning between tables will be done each time servers or staff come into physical contact with guests at the tables, or with their food, drinks, dishware, flatware, napkins, or other serving equipment. Hands will be washed before, after, and between deliveries to different tables (whether it be food or other table objects).
A simple handwashing station will be created at the server area through the use of a house-made wet towel bucket dispenser, in conjunction with an automatic soap dispenser.
Hand sanitizers will be used as additional measures.
All restaurant employees are considered to be food handlers and must wear masks at all times. We provide our team with reusable cloth masks, as well as with information on how to clean and properly care for their masks. Single use filters are also provided, and a new filter is used inside of a clean mask each day.
Glove use is reserved to employees involved in direct food preparation. Bussers and food runners, which in our case is every employee, should use handwashing after each physical encounter as described above under “hand cleaning.”
When wearing gloves:
- Do not touch mouth, nose, or eyes.
- Change them frequently, at least every 30 minutes, or when changing tasks.
- Gloves must be changed after carrying out non-food related activities, such as opening/closing doors by hand, and emptying bins.
- Hands must be washed between gloves changes and when gloves are removed.
- Removal of disposable gloves can lead to contamination of hands. Safe glove removal procedures may be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/poster-how-to-remove-gloves.pdf
- Disposable gloves are not a substitute for handwashing.*

*Wearing disposable gloves can give a false sense of security and may result in staff not washing hands as frequently as required. The COVID-19 virus can contaminate disposable gloves in the same way it gets onto workers’ hands. Handwashing is a greater protective barrier to infection than wearing disposable gloves. Know that viruses and bacteria will build up on the surface of the hands even when you wear gloves, so handwashing is critical when gloves are removed to avoid subsequent contamination of food.

Employee Social Distancing Measures

One person per food preparation station is allowed at any one time. If there are two workers required at any station, they are not to face one another.
PPE such as face masks, and disposable gloves are provided for all employees. Hair nets and restrains are each employee’s responsibility, as needed for their individual needs. All hair must be restrained, including facial hair. When staff are dressed in PPE, the distance between workers can be reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet. Any breach of the 3 foot distance between workers must not exceed 15 consecutive minutes per incident.
Our chef, or sous chef, is specifically assigned within the kitchen to monitor incidents of close contact in the kitchen.
Our order manager, or beverage manager, is specifically assigned within the kitchen to monitor incidents of close contact in the front of house.
Frequency of cleaning and sanitizing surfaces is increased to every 30 minutes.
Break areas (upstairs, mezzanine level) are limited to 3 individuals at a time, and must be disinfected by the last individual to leave the break room.
Front of house staff should not enter the back of house areas, unless absolutely necessary.

General Hygiene

We use hydrogen peroxide, an EPA certified disinfectant, for all surface disinfecting uses.
Our kitchen has a handwashing station that is fully equipped with soap, and self-dispensing paper towels.
Ladles, tongs, and condiment holders are frequently sanitized.
Internal doors are left open where possible, to minimize contact.
All dishes and flatware are washed and disinfected in a dishwashing machine, including items that have not been used, as they might have been in contact with the hands of guests or staff.
For manual washing of larger items, the usual steps must be followed (wash, rinse, disinfect). and dry with a single use towel, taking the maximum level of precautions.
We will not be using cloth linens for phase 1, instead will use single-use linen-like napkins.
Employee meals are not allowed in the kitchen.

Additional Protocols

Take-out and Delivery

Take-out and delivery available, all through completely contactless systems.
Bags are taped shut to prevent tampering and contamination.

Closing Procedures (in case of exposure)

We will notify local health officials and staff immediately: report number of infected.
All staff must be tested.
Deep sanitization of workplace.
Immediately separate employees/ customers with COVID-19 symptoms.
Close off all areas used by sick person and leave areas unused until thoroughly cleaned and disinfected: wait at least 24 hours before cleaning/disinfecting.