13 Things You Shouldn’t Do at Reopened Restaurants
Updated: Jun. 26, 2020Restaurants may be reopening, but that doesn't mean it's "business as usual."
What NOT to do when dining out during the COVID-19 pandemic
Going out with friends and family or for a work event in a restaurant without a care in the world has quickly become a memory of the past. After much of the world has been in lockdown for the past few months due to millions of people being infected with COVID-19, restaurant patios across of Canada are tentatively starting to reopen. If you’re thinking of going out to eat, make sure you avoid these 13 mistakes that could put your health—and the health of others—at risk.
Don’t arrive without a mask
Wearing a face covering due to COVID-19 has now become commonplace. According to a WHO-backed study, wearing a face-covering can reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus by 85 per cent. One of the main things you shouldn’t do when going to a reopened restaurant is to arrive without a mask. “According to the CDC, this is a very important layer of defence when trying to not contract the disease,” Brian Hinshaw, the Senior VP of Food & Beverage at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, tells Reader’s Digest. But how do you handle eating while wearing a face mask? Hinshaw recommends wearing your face covering when you enter a restaurant or are in outdoor seating like a patio and then to remove the mask when you begin to eat. When you go back to your favourite eatery, it may be a bit different than you remember. Here’s what restaurants could look like after the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted.
Don’t ignore individual restaurant guidelines
While most restaurants will follow similar guidelines, specific restaurants may have certain parameters in place that you, as a guest, should respect and follow. “Upon your arrival, if the restaurant wants to take your temperature or requires you to use hand sanitizer upon entry, allow this to happen,” Bridget Sweet, Executive Director of Food Safety, College of Food Innovation & Technology, Johnson & Wales University, tells Reader’s Digest. “Restaurants are trying to protect you as well as their staff. If the establishment requests that you wait in your vehicle until your table is ready, do so.”
Check out 14 coronavirus mistakes to avoid this summer.
Don’t eat with your hands
If you’re dreaming of eating a hamburger with your hands or eating finger foods like mozzarella sticks or chips and salsa, you might need to savour that experience at home and not in a restaurant. “The worst mistake you can make is eating with your hands. We inadvertently touch so many things at a restaurant, such as menus, glasses, silverware, condiment containers, etc,” Dr. Gary Linkov, an ENT physician and facial reconstructive surgeon in New York City, tells Reader’s Digest. “If you do happen to touch an item at the restaurant which has been contaminated with coronavirus, bringing your hands to your face increases your risk of acquiring infection.”
Make sure you avoid these common hand washing mistakes.
Don’t eat with a large group of people
Even though you’re in a restaurant, you should still maintain social distancing as much as possible. “I also do not advise going out to eat with a large group of people, as may lead to people leaning over the table in order to communicate, resulting in the spread of respiratory droplets among close contacts,” says Dr. Linkov.
Here’s how to reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 on public transit.
Don’t pay with cash
Opening up your wallet and paying the bill with cash might seem second-nature, but in a pandemic, it’s important to limit the spread of germs by minimizing contact. Cash itself houses a lot of germs, and if you don’t wash your hands after touching money, this will convince you to start.
Don’t use the restaurant pen
Remember the days of signing the receipt with the pen the server brought for you, and then lending that pen to a friend who didn’t bring their own? We do, too. However, looking back, sharing pens with friends, your waiter, and who knows how many other patrons may not have been the most hygienic idea.
Find out more germ-spreading items you’re probably carrying right now.
Try not to use door handles
You’re probably aware of everything restaurant staff is cleaning, but what about high-touch surfaces, like door handles? “The things to be most mindful of are the areas that restaurants do not have much control over on a minute-by-minute basis, so unless a restaurant is physically keeping their door open or has someone opening the door, be mindful of the door handle,” Taylor Smith, founder of CJS Global, a leading restaurant sanitation company, tells Reader’s Digest. “A reminder of this for public restroom doors as well.” Smith adds that if using door handles is unavoidable, then you should always wash your hands or sanitize your hands after touching. Here are 14 diseases you can prevent just by washing your hands.
Avoid a physical restaurant menu
Instead of asking or expecting a physical menu to look at when dining in a restaurant, you should look up the menu online beforehand. If that’s not possible, then look for a disposable menu. The U.S. National Restaurant Association, in its COVID-19 reopening guide for the restaurant industry, recommends restaurants “Avoid sharing items such as menus, condiments and food orders. Use disposable or digital menus; toss disposable menus after each use.”
Find out how to reduce the risk of catching coronavirus in an elevator.
Don’t remain quiet if you’re uncomfortable
While restaurants are taking all the precautions they can, this is still an uncertain time for everyone. “If staff seats you too close to others, or close to someone who is coughing or sneezing, then don’t be shy about asking to be moved,” Lynell Ross, founder and managing editor of Zivadream, an education advocacy website, tells Reader’s Digest. “Out of concern for your safety and others, politely asked to be moved to a table somewhere else in the restaurant or even outside. Experts are finding that droplets can spread farther than six feet [two metres] when someone is coughing or sneezing.”
If at this point in time you’d rather order takeout as opposed to going into a restaurant, here’s how you can safely get food delivery during the pandemic.
Don’t move chairs and tables without permission
It might be tempting to scoot a table over a foot or move a chair from its rightful place, but you shouldn’t do that. “Do not move tables or chairs without asking a manager or person in charge,” says Hinshaw. If you’re that uncomfortable, bring it up with your waiter or manager, since there are guidelines in place that you, as a guest, may not even know about. “There are strict floor plans for social distancing guests in a restaurant that affect licensing,” Hinshaw adds. Also, many restaurant owners have put in a lot of time and money into making sure you as the guest are comfortable.
Here’s more expert advice on how to maintain social distancing as Canada reopens.
Don’t share food
Communal appetizers and split desserts may become a thing of the past. “While it can be fun to take a sip of someone’s drink or milkshake, or sample a bite of someone else’s meal, that should be avoided now,” says Ross. Since people infected with COVID-19 can be asymptomatic, or not show any symptoms, it’s important to be mindful of who you’re sharing food with. It should go without saying that there are still risks in dining out and if you’re feeling under the weather, stay home.
Here are 12 things you’re used to sharing that germ experts wouldn’t.
Don’t use the bathroom
Or, at least, if you do think twice about it. According to the New York Times, a recent study published in the journal Physics of Fluids revealed that after a toilet is flushed aerosol droplets are spread about three feet in the air, creating a “toilet plume.” What’s even grosser? Coronavirus particles can be found in those aerosol droplets, as well as in virus-laden feces. Will we live in a world where you will avoid every public washroom you see? Not likely. But it’s best to keep your wits (and bladder) in check. If this makes you a bit squeamish, make sure you avoid these public places with the most germs.
If you do use the bathroom, don’t flush with your foot
OK, so you couldn’t hold it in any longer and had to use the restaurant bathroom. But how do you go to the bathroom without, well, touching anything? For starters, avoid flushing the toilet with your foot. “Unless you can manoeuver opening stall doors without using your hands, you’re more than likely leaving the stall with dirty paws anyways. Flushing the toilet with your foot only assists in transferring fecal matter and urine from the floor to the handle,” Glenn Gallas, vice president of operations for Mr. Rooter Plumbing, a Neighborly company tells Reader’s Digest. “Instead, use toilet tissue to push the toilet handle, wash your hands with soap and water, and use a paper towel to hold the door on your way out.” Here’s more advice for using public washrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
