North Carolina Reopening Checklist for Restaurants

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Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

Ensure social distancing by arranging tables and seating to achieve at least 6-foot separation between parties for indoor and outdoor dining. o Each group of people sitting at a counter should be separated by six (6) feet.
Ensure Emergency Maximum Occupancy is followed. The Emergency Maximum Occupancy is calculated using the following three tests. The most restrictive number must be used. i. Limit to 50% of stated fire capacity or 12 people per 1,000 square feet if there is not a fire code number available. When no fire code number is available for outdoor dining, the 12 people per 1,000 square feet number should be applied. Interim Guidance for Restaurants 2 ii. Limit the number of people in the space so that groups can stay six (6) feet apart. iii. Arrange the restaurant so that customers sitting at a table are not within six (6) feet of any customers sitting at another table. Moreover, each group of customers sitting at a counter should be separated from other groups by six (6) feet.
Allow no more than 10 people at a table, unless they are a family from the same household. You do not need to ask whether groups are a family.
Don’t use shared tables among multiple parties unless the seats can be arranged to maintain social distancing between parties.
Require patrons to wait outside, with markings to ensure 6 feet apart, with floor markings and instructions for social distancing.
Provide hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) at the entrance when available.
Provide education to employees on how to properly wear, remove, and wash or dispose of face coverings
Install physical barriers, such as sneeze guards and partitions at cash registers, or other food pickup areas were maintaining physical separation of 6 feet is difficult
Advise all waitstaff to stay 6 feet away from customers to the extent possible.
Advise all employees to stay 6 feet away from each other to the extent possible.
Stagger seating times to the extent possible by using reservation systems or other methods; rotate or stagger shifts to limit the number of employees in the workplace at the same time
Consider alternative options to gathering lots of people in a small area, such as having people wait in their cars and alerting them by phone when their table is ready.
Staff meetings should be held virtually or provided by written notes instead of congregating.
Reduce condiments and other items on the table for use between customers; provide condiments by request only; or provide disposable condiment packs.
Continue to provide take-out, curbside pickup, and delivery options.
Use rolled utensils and discontinue preset table settings.
Continue to offer contactless payment options, curbside pickup, and delivery; if possible, use phone app technology to alert patrons when their table is ready to avoid the use of pagers or buzzers
Use touchless payment options as much as possible. Ask customers and employees to exchange cash or card payments by placing on a receipt tray or on the counter rather than by hand. Wipe any pens, counters, or trays between use and between customers with a disinfecting wipe.
Designate an ordering area at bars when the wait staff is not available to visit each table. The ordering area should be at least 6 feet from other patrons seated at the bar.

Cloth Face Coverings

It is strongly recommended that all employees and customers wear a cloth or disposable face covering when they may be near (less than 6 feet from) other people in the restaurant. An FAQ about-face coverings is available in English and Spanish.
It is encouraged that businesses and organizations provide cloth face coverings for employees and customers. If provided, they must be single-use or properly laundered using hot water and a high heat dryer between uses
Please share guidance to employees on use, wearing, and removal of cloth face coverings, such as CDC’s guidance on wearing and removing cloth face masks, CDC’s use of cloth face coverings, and CDC’s cloth face coverings FAQ’s.

Cleaning and Hygiene

Perform ongoing and routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas (e.g., doors, doorknobs, rails) with an EPA approved disinfectant for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), and increase disinfection during peak times or high customer density times and of all shared objects (e.g., payment terminals, tables, countertops/bars, receipt trays, condiment holders) between use. o Disinfect dining tables and booths, including condiment containers and reusable menus, between each use, allowing the disinfectant to sit for the necessary contact time recommended by the manufacturer.
Promote frequent use of handwashing and hand sanitizer for wait/food service staff upon reporting to work and frequently throughout a shift. Hand washing is required to at least meet the requirements as specified in the North Carolina Food Code Manual, Sections 2-301.12, 2-301.14, and 2-301.15.
Systematically and frequently check and refill hand sanitizers (at least 60% alcohol) and assure soap and hand drying materials are available at sinks.
Use disposable menus, a menu display board, or mobile options, between customers/groups.
Use single use/disposable linens when possible. If using disposable linens is not possible, sanitize cloth linens after each customer.
Provide, whenever available, hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) at the entrance and other areas.
Avoid offering any self-serve food or drink options, such as buffets, salad bars, and drink stands.
If self-serve is used: o Provide an attendant at buffet areas to monitor social distancing and remove any contaminated food or utensils. o Change, clean, and sanitize serving utensils (e.g., tongs, bulk food dispenser spoons) every 30 minutes. o Have employees plate food for customers or provide increased monitoring of self-service areas. o Encourage handwashing and hand sanitizer use among customers before using the self-service area. Provide hand sanitizer at the beginning of each service line and post signage requesting use before handling utensils.

Monitoring for Symptoms

Conduct daily symptom screening (use this standard interview questionnaire) (English|Spanish) of employees at entrance to workplace with immediately sending symptomatic workers home to isolate.
Post signage at the main entrance requesting that people who have been symptomatic with fever and/or cough not enter, such as Know Your Ws/Stop if You Have Symptoms flyers (English - Color, Black & White; Spanish - Color, Black & White).
Employees who have symptoms when they arrive at work or become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors and sent home.
Have a plan in place for immediately removing employee from work if symptoms develop.
Establish and enforce sick leave policies to prevent the spread of disease, including: o Enforcing employees staying home if sick. o Encouraging liberal use of sick leave policy. o Expanding paid leave policies to allow employees to stay home when sick.
Per CDC guidelines, if an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is presumed positive by a medical professional due to symptoms, the employee should be excluded from work until: o No fever for at least 72 hours since recovery (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) AND o Other symptoms have improved (e.g., coughing, shortness of breath) AND o At least 10 days have passed since the first symptoms
Per CDC guidelines, if an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not have symptoms, they should remain out of work until 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test, assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.
Require symptomatic employees to wear masks until leaving the office. Cleaning and disinfecting procedure should be implemented by designated personnel following CDC guidelines once the sick employee leaves.
Provide employees with information on help lines to access information or other support in reference to COVID-19, e.g. 211 and Hope4NC Helpline (1-855-587-3463).

Protecting Vulnerable Populations

Designate a specific time for persons at higher risk to access the venue without the general population (such as early morning, or late afternoon).
Enable employees to self-identify as high risk for severe disease and reassign work to minimize face-to-face contact and to allow them to maintain a distance of six feet from others, or to telework if possible.

Combatting Misinformation

Provide workers with education about COVID-19 strategies, using methods like videos, webinars, or FAQs. Some reliable sources include NC DHHS COVID-19, Know Your W’s: Wear, Wait, Wash, NC DHHS COVID-19 Latest Updates, NC DHHS COVID-19 Materials & Resources
Promote informational helplines like 211 and Hope4NC and other Wellness Resources.
Put up signs and posters, such as those found Know Your W’s: Wear, Wait, Wash and those found Social Media Toolkit for COVID-19.
Message through media and social media.

Water and Ventilation Systems

Follow the CDC’s Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation to minimize the risk of diseases associated with water.
Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and increase the circulation of outdoor air as much as possible by opening windows and doors, using fans, or other methods. Do not open windows and doors if they pose a safety or health risk to people using the facility