Dine-in resumes with a host of precautionary measures

Social distancing norms thrown to the wind at small eateries

June 08, 2020 10:41 pm | Updated 10:41 pm IST - COIMBATORE

Disposable menu cards offered to customers at On The Go, a restaurant in Coimbatore on Monday.

Disposable menu cards offered to customers at On The Go, a restaurant in Coimbatore on Monday.

With the government relaxing the lockdown norms, restaurants, cafes, and bakeries opened their doors for guests to dine in on Monday after two-and-a-half months.

While the larger restaurants and hotel chains checked the temperature of customers, noted their names and contact details, down-sized the seating capacity and insisted on the use of masks and sanitisers, social distancing norms were thrown to the wind in many of the smaller eateries.

In Coimbatore, morning walkers trickled in for a cup of coffee or light tiffin at the hotels and bakeries that opened by 6 a.m. The crowd was relatively higher for lunch.

On the Go, a casual dining restaurant in Coimbatore city, has a pouch of goodies with a thank you note for customers who walk in on the first two days. The menu is printed on a paper that is held together by a pair of chop sticks. Sanitised cutlery is wrapped in disposable napkins and customers can opt for use-and-throw plates and cutlery too, at an additional cost. “So much detailing and thinking has gone into reopening the restaurant,” says Ranjana Singhal, Managing Partner of On the Go. “The aim is to offer contactless service to the best extent possible,” she says.

At People’s Park tables with four chairs now had only two and each table had a movable board that served as a screen. Tables and chairs were cleaned with sanitisers after each customer vacated the table. “It will take at least a week for people to feel comfortable walking into a restaurant,” says Jegan S Damodarasamy, Executive Director of Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowrishankar Hotels and Executive Committee member of the Coimbatore District Hoteliers’ Association.

Rajan Jayaraman, Proprietor of Valarmathi Kongunaatu Samayal, points out to the tables that have been removed and hand wash provided for customers at the washing area.

Customers are asked to maintain a queue, enter their name and contact details, get the temperature checked and then enter. “Though we encourage digital payment, customers generally prefer to pay cash. Some even go away if we do not accept cash,” he said.

“Even if we remove the chairs, some customers pull out the chairs and sit in a group. Personal distancing is difficult to manage during peak hours,” says the owner of a bakery near the railway station.

At the hotels and restaurants, the staff wear gloves, face shield, and mask. At the bakeries and smaller eateries, it is just the masks, mainly.

Hotels that have multiple branches in the district, have decided to open only a few outlets as almost all of them faced labour shortage. “Four of my women staff are from the north eastern States. They want to return home,” says Ms. Singhal. “Staff shortage is felt across the sector in the district,” says Mr. Damodarasamy.

Though it may not be viable in the long term to operate with so many restrictions, the hoteliers say they are concerned about the safety of their workers and customers and hence will do their best to abide by the norms.

C.K. Subramanian, president of the Small Hotel, Mess, Bakery and All Food Items Owners Welfare Association Town Hall Kovai, says that though the Government permitted reopening of the outlets from Monday, not all did so. It will take a day or two. “We are trying to adjust to the government norms. But we need government support. There are thousands of small eateries in the district. They are severely affected by the lockdown,” he said.

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