Hygiene and Covid
A waiter approached our table and whilst greeting us, he helped himself to two squirts of the hand sanitizer that was on our table. It was an odd feeling. I felt secure and violated at the same time. I was glad he sanitized his hands; I took comfort in that but also, that was my table’s sanitizer bottle – get your own sanitizer. Which is a ridiculous reaction, I know.
Hygiene with Covid – it’s an interested topic. Clearly, punters want a feeling of comfort that restaurants are clean, sanitized and are safe spaces to eat. However, restaurants are already meant to be clean and sanitized, so signage saying, “our staff frequently wash their hands, and we sanitize our tables after every use”, just seem odd because, well, that’s what they’re meant to be doing already. So, what’s the best way to show elevated sanitary practices? Obviously, each table needs to have hand sanitizers available for the guest – it is a basic expectation. Below are some tongue in cheek ways to up the hygiene game!
Posh restaurants could offer a choice of gel, foam or liquid sanitiser, for example. Nightclubs could serve sanitizer to tables in the same way they serve bottles of bubbly - ten girls delivering sanitizer bottles attached to sparklers to a table. Family friendly places could offer rainbow or multicoloured gel sachets for kids that come with an “I sanitised” sticker. Kids looove stickers. Every 45 minutes, service staff could stop and perform a team hand washing ritual, as part of the dining out experience. Chefs in an open kitchen could rip off their gloves and ceremoniously fling them into the dining room, signalling their replacement with new ones.
Everyone says QR code digital menus are more hygienic than physical menus. Sorry, but phones are petri-dishes of microbes and with over 25,000 bacteria per square inch, they are the filthiest objects we touch on a daily basis. How about each table has a UV light drawer that you can drop your phone into for immediate disinfection? Throw in your wallet and car keys for good measure. If you plan ahead, you can even bring your nail clippers, toothbrushes etc, and get them disinfected at the same time.
Over to you - what hygiene practices do you expect to see in your local restaurant?
Sr. Brand Manager at MDLBEAST
3 年I came across an Instagram ad for a Lebanese outlet that focused on hygienic delivery of XL shawarmas during the lockdown. In the ad, the delivery associate exited the lift, sanitized his hands, put on gloves, sanitized again, then pressed the bell. A bit over the top, if you ask me. What he did next blew my mind. When handing over the food to the customer, he....LOOKED AWAY, turning the whole encounter into a COVID + Conjunctivitis prevention advertisement. Maybe along with COVID, restaurants could focus on preventing other illnesses? Maybe the Gauntlets at Sugar Factory could come with the crew holding up massive signs about how they aren't worth losing a toe or two for?