'Bar Rescue' host Jon Taffer on what to expect as restaurants reopen
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The restaurant industry — and those who rely on it for employment — have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, but as cities across the country begin to reopen, restaurant owners are taking a number of steps to adapt to their new normal.
In an interview on "Fox & Friends" Thursday, “Bar Rescue” host Jon Taffer took viewers inside the Las Vegas Peppermill Restaurant located on the Strip as the Sin City establishments begin to partially reopen.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is the life of a restaurant today," Taffer said.
Taffer explained that the restaurant switched to paper-only menus and that they have designated a "full-time sanitation person who cleans everything throughout the day."
In addition to the social distancing signs plastered throughout, the restaurant also had plexiglass dividers installed between each booth, Taffer said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man and a woman demonstrate dining under a plastic shield Wednesday, May 27, 2020 in a restaurant of Paris. As restaurants in food-loving France prepare to reopen, some are investing in lampshade-like plastic shields to protect diners from the virus. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Other precautions include "a chemical system for cleaning which is color-coded," the availability of thermometers, masks, disposable silverware, and disposable drinkware.
"It’s a completely new operation to keep us safe," he said.
Customers are required to make reservations beforehand and are told to exit through a different door than the one they used to enter the venue.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST LAS VEGAS CASINOS TO REOPEN ON THE STRIP
In the kitchen, the staff are required to wear masks and gloves, Taffer said.
"It’s actually a very safe environment. We’re still skipping every table, so they are following 50 percent occupancy codes and the plexiglass as a double safety feature," he reiterated.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Taffer said the restaurant industry is the "most equipped" to take the safety precautions necessary to ensure the safety of their dine-in customers.
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"The restaurant industry is the most equipped to do this," he said. "We’ve dealt with the invisible enemy -- bacteria since our inception, so now we’re dealing with the virus."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Taffer added, "It’s a change in chemicals but we still have to clean our surfaces, wash our hands, be responsible, have to have the right kitchen procedure...so we are really well equipped to do this, especially in Las Vegas."