Video: COVID Restaurant Employee Training

If you’re a restaurant that is reopening for outdoor seating and you’re wondering what you need to train your employees on, then you are in the right place!

There are probably a lot of things that have changed in your restaurants and a question that we’ve been getting is, what do I need to train my employees on? Reopening for outdoor seating has brought a few new things to think about.

It varies from state to state, but there are some general items that you need to train your team on. I know you’ve probably heard these things a million times, but it’s worth saying that you should absolutely go over these things with your workforce. When it comes to hygiene:

Make sure your employees know that handwashing is 20 seconds with soap and water, and that they have to wash their hands before and after food prep, touching garbage, and sneezing.
Also, make sure everyone has a mask and wears it whenever it’s feasible. It’s got to cover the chin, mouth, and nose, and it’s recommended to handle the mask only by the securing straps and not the covering itself.
A refresh on social distancing – what distance are you trying to maintain between people whenever possible? 6 Feet!
Have a clear understanding of cleaning schedules and what each person will be responsible for.
And finally, go over coronavirus symptoms and who is more at risk to get it. The elderly and those with underlying health conditions are at the top of that list. And don’t forget to remind employees to do a self-screen at home. If they’re not feeling well, have them STAY HOME! It’s the best way to keep things from spreading.

When it comes to other state regulations, talk with your HR team or reach out to our HR team here at MP to get a more detailed breakdown on what you might need to do.

Additionally, these might be some other areas you will want to train your team on:

How do you have menus set up? Are you using disposable menus? Or are you requiring customers to order ahead? Make sure your team knows!
What’s the layout of the restaurant? What areas can you seat people in? How are you managing pick up orders?
Do you have a new payment method? Do you have a contactless payment method? Any change here, you guessed it, let your team know!
It takes time, but try to think through everything that’s changed and be ready to tell your employees about it.

Also, the last thing to think about is sending employees a welcome back letter! In this letter, it’s great to include what your implementing to keep your workplace safe, as well as new practices and precautions you expect your employees to uphold in this transition back to work.

And finally, what’s the best way to train your employees? We recommend setting up a COVID orientation session with your employees to go over everything. Depending on your workforce size, you might want to set up multiple sessions even to keep gatherings smaller, or even do it via video conference call if possible.

I hope this has been helpful for you as you reopen your business! Please like and share this video if you enjoyed it. For more information about COVID-19 and the workplace, visit our help center at masspaysolutions.com/covid-19. Oh, and if you have questions about the PPP, make sure you catch up on our latest webinar!