People!!!
The last 10 weeks have been strange without seeing you
The management team [at the Peninsula Club] has been working our curbside to-go operations with almost no contact with the membership we all love to see. The only contact has been briefly over the phone, to take their order and check in to see how they were holding up. It was very weird to be in a busy restaurant with no guests seated.
Welcome back
We were able to welcome the membership back into the restaurants last weekend for the first time in 10 weeks. We are only taking reservations for both restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The membership has been great. They are all happy to be back.
Outside dining is the new normal
This time of year, there is always a focus on dining al fresco, but with COVID-19 this is especially the case. We have added 10 tables on the patio to accommodate the loss of over half our tables inside. The new normal in restaurants is what we used to keep in the back is now in the forefront in the dining room. Gloves and masks for the front of house staff, disposable menus and “sanitation specialists” are now standard.
It’s new for us too, please be patient
With the new normal, please be patient with us as a team. We are doing everything in our power make the experience as seamless as possible. Every time we go to your table, we come with fresh gloved hands and change them as soon as we leave. We do this to prevent any cross contamination to the other staff and guests. We are all still getting used to wearing masks and learning to smile with our eyes. I have been known to stick my head in a cooler or walk-in to help dissipate the heat retained from the mask.
The “sanitation specialists” are the key to the operation
They are responsible for completely wiping down all surfaces of each table and chair before we reset the table for the next reservation and all of the high-touch surfaces. Many restaurants are operating the same way, slowing down service a touch to make sure the environment is safe for everyone.
While we are trying to keep service as brisk as possible, even with the added extra steps, please be patient with us as we as an industry welcome everyone back to our dining rooms!
Images courtesy Pixabay.com
Adam Arlen: “I am passionate about wine because it is history in a bottle.” He is the sommelier for The Peninsula Club in Cornelius, NC. Originally from Allentown, PA, he believes you should always branch out and find new things. His goal is to never stop learning and continuing to grow both personally and professionally. A fun fact about him: “I was a nuclear engineer on a submarine in a previous life.”
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