Is it safe to dine out? It’s safer outside. Stay 6 feet away. 4 tips for safe dining
Public health expert Erin Carlson has exactly the list we needed.
Carlson is a foodie. She loves Fort Worth restaurants.
But she also oversees the UT Arlington graduate public health program.
She loves Ashim’s Hibachi Grill downtown, and Ethiopian food at Samson’s Market Bistro, and Tokyokonomiyaki at Tokyo Cafe.
But not to dine inside, not right now.
“I love restaurants, and I think we all miss going out and trying new experiences,” she said.’
But that means caution.
For starters, everyone must always stay 6 feet away from anyone else. That’s the basic rule for restaurants and all public places, regardless of seating capacity.
Here are more tips from a public health expert who also loves food and dining out:
1. Plan ahead.
“Don’t dine with anyone you don’t live with,” she wrote in a new UT Arlington Q-and-A under the headline, “Is It Safe to Dine Out?”
That’s not easy. But if you’re dining with someone you don’t live with, make sure it’s someone who has been just as careful during the coronavirus pandemic.
Before you go, call or message the restaurant.
“Ask a lot of questions,” she said.
Ask how the restaurant enforces the 6-foot distancing order and mask order. And ask about other safety protocols.
“If they’re really doing it right, whoever answers the phone will know all about it and won’t have any hesitation telling you,” she said.
After that, ask how well the employees are taken care of if they get sick. Many will tell you.
Then ask one more question.
When is business slowest?
That’s the time to go.
2. Take a look around.
When you get to the restaurant, look closely.
If you don’t see safety promoted everywhere, leave.
“There should be a lot of signs right now talking about social distancing,” Carlson said.
(Not just on the front door — in the line and in the dining and counter area,)
“There should be tape on the floor marking off 6 feet” for any waiting line, she said.
“If people are crowded in the entryway — that’s something we don’t want to see.”
If servers and kitchen workers don’t wear masks, leave. That’s violating a state health order.
All dining must be touchless. Don’t handle anyone else’s menu, sauce bottles or salt or pepper shakers.
“Look for signage about social distancing, hand hygiene or other information that shows the restaurant is promoting safe practices,” she wrote in the UTA online post.
If you don’t see safety signs — that’s a sign.
3. Sit outside, or away from others.
Pick a table on a sprawling, quiet patio where you won’t have to shout over other noise.
If you choose the risk of dining inside, sit in a big, roomy dining area with only a few other customers widely spread around.
Only dine someplace “large, well-ventilated, open,” she wrote.
There’s increasing concern about aerosolized COVID-19 infection. It may turn out that dining inside may be even more risky than we thought,
On an Eats Beat podcast, Carlson called aerosolized risk “a big deal.”
“I don’t tell anyone not to eat out,” she said.
“But if you’re in a small room and it’s not well-ventilated — remember, other people are eating, so they don’t have their masks on. That’s a big risk.”
4. Be patient.
Be nice and wait. But once your food comes, dine quickly.
Restaurants are slower these days. They’re working hard to sterilize, and some workers are out sick.
Don’t expect dinner to arrive quickly. But when it does, dine and move on.
“Be very American about it,” Carlson said.
“In and out — the longer you’re there, the more you increase your risk.”
Here’s a big reason to leave quickly.
Stay out of the restroom.
“People forget about that,” she said.
“Nothing aerosolizes germs like a flushing toilet.”
Visit the restroom at home before going out. Then drink very little at the restaurant, or change the order.
A restaurant bathroom is a small, tightly enclosed space — exactly where you don’t want to be.
Having said all this, dine out when you can.
Distancing and masks are the only way to avoid further restrictions.
The new safety protocols may feel like they undermine socialization, she wrote, “but they are both temporary and worth it..”
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
