Attention, Restaurant Owners: A Webinar On Indoor-Dining Guidelines

Beginning September 30 the city will allow restaurants to have indoor dining with a reduced capacity and strict guidelines. The NYC Department of Small Businesses is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, September 23, at 10a to go through the guidelines and answer any questions you may have. You can register for it here.

If you are a restaurant, here are some of the guidelines your restaurant will need to follow:

—Masks must be worn at all times, except when diners are seated

—Tables will need to be six feet apart

—Temperature checks will be required for anyone entering restaurants

—Patrons are prohibited from sitting at the bar, which may only be used as a service station

—Bars with no food service will not be allowed to open at this time

—One member of each party will be required to provide contact information for tracing if needed 

—Restaurants will be required to have enhanced filtration systems installed, details to come

—All restaurants must close at midnight. (You can finish your meal if still seated but must be out by 12:30a.)

—Every restaurant will be required to post its full capacity outside and provide a phone number to report social-distancing violations

—State Liquor Authority officers and other city regulators will continue to run compliance checks on restaurants, just as they have been doing for outdoor dining

When supporting your local establishments, whether dining indoors or out, remember to wear your mask when talking to your server and tip generously. It’s going to be a long recovery.  

Update, September 25: Small Business Services has uploaded the webinar to its YouTube. In case any of you missed it, you can watch below.

photo: iStock