The Ultimate COVID-19 Checklist for Cafes and Restaurants!

Management

Roles

• Elect a COVID-19 manager to oversee all safety
• Place a COVID-19 trained representative on each shift

Daily checks

• Screen employees at the start of each shift
• Ask if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• If possible, check their temperature with a contactless thermometer
• Ask if any of the staff’s family members are sick
• Ask if any worker who has returned from leave or travel has completed their required self-isolation period
• Hold a daily meeting to keep staff up to date on COVID-19 issues
• Notify staff if any menu items have changed due to ingredients being substituted, especially ones containing allergens
• Ensure staff have a means to raise concerns
• Plan for absence of sick staff

Disaster recovery

• Design a comprehensive hazard prevention plan if a COVID-19 case is suspected in the workplace
  • Immediate notification to the relevant government department
  • Notification to staff
  • Notification to customers if required
  • Closure and cleaning of premises if required
  • Notification to suppliers if required
  • Storage or disposal of stock and Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHF) during closure. Preferably keep a log of fridge and freezer temperatures with an electronic temperature logger

Staff

Education

• Ensure all staff are trained in:
  • Correct handwashing techniques and hand sanitiser use with a quality training product such as GlitterBug
  • COVID-19 laws and guidelines, including social distancing
• Schedule regular training sessions with staff for hand washing, hand sanitising , social distancing measures and cleaning

Staff to staff protection

• Streamline shifts to try and keep the same staff together
• Allocate tools and equipment per person or small group
• Minimise contact between home delivery staff and other staff

Staff to customer protection

• Minimise direct contact with food
• Use tongs and other standard food handling practices
• No writing on coffee lids

Customers

Customer to customer protection

• Hand sanitiser available for customers
• Minimise commonly touched items on customer’s tables (e.g. salt and pepper shakers, condiment bottles and laminated menus)
• Clean tables, chairs and table items thoroughly between customers
• Insist on contactless payment methods
• Substitute re-usable items for single use items
• Avoid reusable menus. Consider a menu board or online menu. Bulk print menus and dispose of after use
• Minimise counter areas where customers can touch or lean. Ensure they are regularly cleaned.

Customer to staff protection

• Remove or minimise direct contact with customers
• Dedicated staff member handling cash and interacting with customers
• Consider a Perspex barrier over the counter

Signage

• COVID-19 warnings and guidelines displayed around the premises
• Social distancing signs in premises
• Floor markings indicating physical distancing
• Signage on pick up points

Reopening After Closure

• Check all use-by dates
• Ensure all Potentially Hazardous Foods were stored below 5°C. Potentially invest in an electronic temperature logger.
• Intensive clean of all areas

Cleaning

• Clean all highly touched surfaces at least hourly and more often for high traffic items
• Additional cleaning of doors, handrails, etc
• Additional cleaning of toilets including doors, taps, hand driers
• Ensure easy access to rubbish bins for customers (especially in food courts)
• Provide appropriate gloves for cleaning

Hand hygiene

• Set strict rules staff for when to wash their hands including when starting or returning to work, before and after handling food, after handling cash, after cleaning.
• Avoid the use of gloves as a substitute for hand washing. If gloves are worn, they must be changed as often as hand washing would have occurred
• Make sanitiser available for customers as they enter the premises
• Sufficient stock of soap and sanitisers for staff
• Sufficient stock of soap and sanitisers for customers
• Correct choice of sanitiser (≥ 70% alcohol)
• Hand sanitiser is NOT used as soap at a sink
• Sufficient stock of disposable towels
• Sufficient stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff members
• Contactless hand dryers in bathrooms
• Consider contactless taps and soap dispensers

Food display

• Food behind a barrier
• Remove all self-serve options
• All food is handled by staff using tongs where possible
• Correct hand washing procedures if food is to be handled by staff directly

Home delivery

• Ensure delivery staff thoroughly wash their hands each time they enter the premises
• Minimise contact with customers
• Prepayment or credit card payment. Avoid contact with cash.
• Hand sanitiser in vehicles to be used after each delivery

Layout

• Open doors and windows to increase air circulation
• Ensure customers can enter and leave the premises without touching a door handle
• Layout to allow for physical distancing between customers and staff
  • Customers can comply with social distancing requirements
  • Queues do not mix with walking areas
  • Customers can easily order and move away from the counter
• Ensure social distancing in bathrooms, possibly by restricting to a single person at a time.
• Create a pickup point for customer orders
• Remove or clearly block off unavailable tables and seats

Suppliers

Deliveries

• Require suppliers to ensure their delivery staff are healthy and do not have a temperature
• Allocate an appropriate drop-off point for deliveries
• Enforce physical distancing measures when deliveries are made

Changes

• Confirm with suppliers that stock is readily available
• When sourcing stock from alternative suppliers or changing brands:
  • Ensure that ingredients are checked for potential allergens
  • Ensure an MSDS is available for all chemicals, especially cleaning products
  • Train staff in the correct storage, use and disposal of new products

Young children

• Thoroughly clean and disinfect highchairs
• Toys and play areas are either removed or cleaned very regularly
• Only have items that can be disinfected