The past few months have seen many different kind of signs in store windows: takeout instructions and social distancing reminders. First, the dashed-off “We’re Closed” sign, later, the more carefully-constructed “We’ll Be Back” sign.
Soon, if all goes according to North Carolina’s multi-phase reopening plan, a new sign with the words “Count on Me NC” will begin to appear on North Carolina restaurant windows and doors.
The signage is more than a gesture of civic cheer: it’s a certificate from a statewide campaign that is trying to regulate increased health protocol in the uncertain next phase of restaurant re-openings.
Last weekend, the state entered phase one of Governor Roy Cooper’s reopening plan. In the next phase—which could begin as early as May 22, although the Governor has not yet committed to an exact timeline—restaurants will be allowed to reopen dining rooms at a limited capacity.
Safety and sanitation will, however, continue to be a major concern for both restaurant patrons and employees.
Count on Me NC is a partnership between the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) has partnered with NC Health Department, Visit NC, and NC State.
The campaign has created a set of guidelines for participating restaurants; those practices will eventually be applied to all hospitality and customer-facing jobs.
Those guidelines include ensuring that all staff pass a health check or “health survey” prior to each shift, that seating options adhere to CDC social distancing guidelines, that sanitation stations are widely available, that all common areas are sanitized regularly and all tables and seats after every use. In addition, shared items like condiments, menus, and cutlery will required to be single-use or sanitized after each use.
In addition, all employees of participating restaurants will be required to take a thirty-minute training course that is being developed by Ben Chapman, a faculty member at NC State who specializes in food safety and risk reduction. That course will be made available to restaurant front and back-of-house staff, as well as cleaning staff, beginning next week.
The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association has also been involved in pandemic relief efforts for restaurants, including managing the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund.
Contact deputy arts and culture editor Sarah Edwards at [email protected].
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