Protect Restaurant Guests with Table Linens. Bare Tables are Dangerous
If you think bare tables are safer than using tablecloths, it’s time to rethink your position. The CDC says using table linens in restaurants is safe under the condition that the linens are not shared. As a result, the best way to protect restaurant guests is with professionally-cleaned table linens.
What does this mean? It means that each textile article must be religiously removed after every customer and replaced with a fresh one for a new patron. Used linens need to go right into the laundry basket for proper disinfection. The guidelines also include strict instructions on the need for employees to wear gloves in handling used linens (and other shared items) for their own protection.
Protect Restaurant Guests with Table Linens
In most every way, table linens are the more pragmatic approach to restaurant dining situations compared to serving on bare tables primarily, and among other reasons, because the virus that causes COVID-19 dries up and dies on dry surfaces – like tablecloths.
Different states have different existing guidelines regarding restaurant tables under the current circumstances. Most of the existing rules require time-consuming procedures of disinfection that are as safe, though not as practical, as using linens.
New York Restaurant Table Rules for Covid-19
The New York State Department of Health says “[r]esponsible [p]arties must conduct regular cleaning and disinfection of the site and more frequent cleaning and disinfection for high risk areas used by many individuals and for frequently touched surfaces.”
Without question, the tabletops that your customers dine on qualify as frequently touched surfaces. If those tables are bare, your procedure would be:
+clear the table
+spray an FDA or EPA-approved disinfectant
+let it sit for the necessary time (2-10 mins depending on disinfectant used)
+wipe dry (and wave the smell out of the air)
+set the table and sit your patrons
+do it hundreds of times more
That’s a lot of time wasted waiting for that disinfectant to work. It’s time that could be spent taking orders and making guests comfortable. Luckily, there’s a better way. Go beyond disinfection, and just replace the entire surface! Skip the smelly sprays and exposure times they need. Replace the tablecloth every time to improve table turnover dramatically!
New Jersey Restaurant Table Rules for Covid-19
Similar to New York, the New Jersey Department of Health also has a “clean and disinfect high-touch areas routinely” rule that’s applied heavily to bare tables.
The best way for New Jersey restaurants to disinfect their tables is to replace the surface instantly. If you’re looking for a way to quickly and confidently make a table guest-ready, tablecloths offer an elegant and efficient option.
Pennsylvania Restaurant Table Rules for Covid-19
Likewise, Pennsylvania’s Restaurant Industry Guidance has rules for consistent disinfection of table surfaces to prevent COVID transmission. It says restaurants must “[c]lean and disinfect any shared items with which customers will come in contact such as tabletops.”
The problem is the same, as is the solution. Tablecloths, replaced after every patron, are the most efficient, reliable, and effective way to abide by Pennsylvania rules and truly protect.
Coast Linen Services has the Clean Tablecloths You Need
The CDC has spoken. Tablecloths are safe to use under strict protocols on handling, replacement, and laundering. Given the circumstances, tablecloths are also your safer, more practical way of keeping your patrons safe.
For high-quality tablecloths and other linen services you can rely on, trust the experts at Coast Linen. Contact us for a free quote at (732) 775-2000.
