By Austin Rust-
As outlined in the state’s Responsible RestartOhio plan, restaurants and bars were permitted to reopen dine-in service on Thursday, May 21, under a new set of mandatory guidelines and best practice recommendations (created by restaurant industry professionals) to ensure safety during the ongoing pandemic. A local restaurant owner, Steve Cacaro, explains that business at Frisch’s (West Union) and Cruiser’s Diner (Seaman) has been brisk since reopening dine-in service.
“As the week went on, business picked up,” Cacaro explained, describing the week after dine-in service reopened, ending Saturday, May 30. “Sales have been pretty brisk for the way times are.”
Mr. Cacaro explained that at the local restaurants he owns, dividers have been installed between the booths inside, and buffet bars which used to run every day (if present) are now open only on weekends. These buffet bars are now cafeteria-style, Cacaro added; customers are asked to come down one side of the bar, and a server on the other side will put food they ask for onto their plate. In this system, only the server (who wears gloves) touches utensils required to pick up food, and people on both sides of the bar are protected by large panes of glass, which also protect the food.
The ways in which customers enter and exit the restaurants have been changed, as well, in order to limit instances where customers must closely pass one another. Customers will not make their payments at the register inside after finishing their meals; instead, payments will be taken by the servers to the register from each table. When exiting the restaurant, customers who have already been served will use a door distanced apart from the door used by entering customers.
“We’ve had to change the way people enter and exit so that they don’t have to pass each other,” Mr. Cacaro confirmed. “We’re keeping the tables six to eight feet apart, as well. We are doing everything we can to make people feel more comfortable. We’re doing this to be safe.”
Under mandatory safety guidelines set by the Responsible RestartOhio plan, restaurants and bars in Ohio are permitted to host up to half of their maximum safe capacity indoors, and must restrict the maximum party size to ten. Statewide, restaurants continue to experience increased drive-thru business, however, and customers are continuing to make use of carry-out and delivery options.
“Business has been brisk considering the way things are. It’s nothing like normal yet, but we’re keeping our heads above water. Our drive-thru at Frisch’s has been a big part of it,” Mr. Cacaro said. “We normally do 29 to 35% (of our business) at the drive-thru, but now we’re doing 46 to 50%.” Due to this increased demand, additional staff have been dedicated to the drive-thru line.
“We also have carry-out, so if people don’t want to come inside, they can call in their order, then call us again when they arrive and we’ll bring their food out to them,” Mr. Cacaro continued. He added that the Frisch’s in West Union also has one employee designated to deliver meals locally.
Delivery and take-out options have been made available at Cruiser’s Diner in Seaman, as well.
Mr. Cacaro said that before dine-in service was reopened at Frisch’s in West Union or Cruiser’s Diner in Seaman, he met with the Adams County Health Department in both restaurants to hear their guidance, and to ensure that all of the mandatory safety guidelines were properly followed.
“Before we opened up either restaurant, we had a meeting with the Adams County Health Department. They came in and gave us some guidance on what they wanted to see, and we’re following it all we can,” Mr. Cacaro explained. “We wanted them to come to our restaurants before they opened to share ideas and make sure we weren’t doing anything wrong.”
Under mandatory safety guidelines, all employees have their temperature taken at the beginning and end of each shift. If an employee feels sick, they are advised not to come in for work. All of the employees wear masks, and many wear gloves. Hand sanitizer is available for employees and customers at several points within each restaurant, including the main entrance and exit doors.
“We don’t want guests to come in if they don’t feel comfortable, and so far, we haven’t had any complaints about anything – we’ve had a lot of compliments,” Mr. Cacaro added. “As far as I’m concerned, even if we go overboard with cleanliness, sanitizing things, and serving people in this way, people are going to feel a lot more comfortable coming in, and they’ll enjoy their meals.”
“So far, I’m really pleased with the little community that we have, and all of the support,” Mr. Cacaro continued. “I’m really pleased with our employees. They’ve gone above and beyond – even in the beginning, when we were just doing the drive-thru, carry-out, and delivery, they all stepped up, came in, and worked long hours. We try to keep our employees as safe as possible, and I think we’ve done a good job at that – we haven’t had anyone sick in either restaurant.”
“A lot of restaurants might feed people once a month, but in a small community like ours, we feed people once or twice a week. We get to know our guests,” Mr. Cacaro added. “They feel more comfortable with us, and if they have criticism, they are more apt to let us know. So far, we’ve not had any of that, so I think we’re doing our best to satisfy our guests and employees.”
On a final note, Mr. Cacaro explained that even before the pandemic-related safety guidelines required it, all of his restaurants received detailed cleaning after closing. When only drive-thru business was allowed, employees cleaned hard-to-reach places within the restaurants to prepare for the day dine-in service would reopen. Mr. Cacaro and his wife monitor all locations daily.
“I’ve always been a stickler about cleanliness,” he said. “We try to run the best show we can.”
At his Little Caesar’s pizza restaurants in Georgetown and Hillsboro, Mr. Caraco added, business has remained steady throughout the pandemic. Nearly all business at these locations comes to the drive-thru, he explained, and convenient, contactless systems for ordering were already in place.