Now that restrictions are lifting and customers are eager to get back to the dining and social scene it’s vital to your business that you are adhering to the Governments COVID 19 Restaurant Procedures.
Below are the current Covid 19 restaurant procedures listed on the Queensland Government website.
- If your business has been closed, check your equipment and facilities are fully functioning, such as gas, electricity, toilets, and hand-washing facilities. Ensure food and beverages stored at your business have not been contaminated or are now out of date
- Ensure staff have completed mandatory COVID Safe training and ensure other relevant training (such as food handling) is up to date.
- Modify processes behind the counter (including in the kitchen) to limit workers having to be in close contact, as much as possible. For example:
- assign workers to specific workstations to minimise the need to go into other spaces,
- implement processes so front of house workers can collect food without needing to go into food preparation areas.
- Consult with workers on COVID-19 measures in the workplace and provide workers with adequate information and education, including changes to work tasks and practices and appropriate cleaning and disinfection practices at work.
- Put signs and posters up to remind workers and others of the risk of COVID-19.
- Place signs at entry points to instruct customers not to enter the shop if they are unwell or have COVID19 symptoms. The sign should state that businesses have the right to refuse service and must insist that anyone with these symptoms leaves the premises.
- Limit walk-in appointments and client interaction at the counter through the use of online or phone bookings.
- Implement measures to restrict numbers on the premises, including maintaining a maximum of 20 people at any one time (not including staff) or per defined area (indoors or outdoors – as per industry plan). Ensure distance of 4 square metres per person is maintained.
- Ensure social distancing by placing floor or wall markings or signs to identify 1.5 metres distance between persons for queues and waiting areas.
- Place tables to ensure that persons seated at those tables are 1.5 metres apart and reduce the number of tables and seating capacity in line with public health directions.
- Consider using physical barriers where practical, such as plexiglass around counters involving high volume interactions with customers
- Remove waiting area seating or space seating at least 1.5 metres apart.
- Provide contactless payments or ordering and payment online or through ordering apps.
- Ensure menus are:
- laminated and sanitised after each use or
- use general non-contact signage to display your menu or
- have single use paper menus available.
- For takeaway services place menus outside the venue and introduce online ordering wherever possible.
- Set up different areas for ordering and collection, and where practical, separate entry and exit paths.
- Remove any serve yourself buffet style food service areas and communal water stations or condiments.
- Stagger seating times and manage the duration of sittings to control the flow of patrons.
- Ensure you keep contact information for all customers, workers and contractors, including name, address and mobile phone number for a period of at least 56 days.
- Ensure records are used only for the purposes of tracing COVID-19 infections and are captured and stored confidentially and securely.
- Instruct all workers to practise good hygiene by frequently cleaning their hands. Hand washing should take at least 20 to 30 seconds. Wash the whole of each hand, covering all areas with soap before washing with water. If hand washing is not practical, alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60% ethanol or 70% iso-propanol is recommended.
For more details especially regarding staff mandatory trainings visit www.covid19.qld.gov.au
In the mean time check out this poster that can be used for staff training and a sample of a contact information form that your guests will need to complete for COVID 19 contact tracing.
To download these files log on or register to our subscribers page.
COVID 19 Training Poster
Contact Tracing Form
