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- Guidance for Specific Groups
- For food establishments
For food establishments
These guidelines will assist local restaurants, bars, nightclubs, microbrewery taprooms and other food service establishments in continuing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. It is necessary for food service establishments to read and understand the updated requirements of the Civil Emergency Orders to continue or resume operations.
Items denoted with (*) are a requirement of the current re-opening order; items not noted by (*) are recommendations to decrease the spread and risk of COVID-19.
Printable Masks Required Signs
General Guidance
For food service establishments inside the Springfield city limits:
- Space tables at least six feet apart, unless solid barriers at least six feet tall have been installed between tables or booths. *
- Face coverings are required for both staff and patrons while not eating or drinking. *
- No self-service buffets permitted. *
- No counter seating or communal table seating permitted. *
- Patio seating may be provided, and tables should be spaced 6 feet apart otherwise patrons must wear a face covering while seated except when drinking or eating. *
- Use single service condiments (e.g. sugar, ketchup, creamer, salt) and utensils.
- Educate employees about how they can reduce the spread of COVID-19.
For food service establishments in Greene County (but outside the Springfield city limits):
- Allow dine-in seating while meeting physical distancing guidelines.
- Avoid self-service buffets.
- Avoid counter seating.
- Use single service condiments (e.g. sugar, ketchup, creamer, salt) and utensils.
- Encourage staff to wear cloth face coverings when interacting with customers.
- Educate employees about how they can reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Employee Health Guidance
- Screen employees upon arrival to work for symptoms.
- Design a protocol for reporting self-monitoring before beginning shift.
- Use of touchless thermometers to check temperature before shift.
- Require employees to stay home if they are sick.
- If employees report to work with a fever or other symptoms or become ill during their shift, they must be sent home. Clean and disinfect ill employee workstations immediately.
- Individuals at high-risk should continue to remain at home and not interact with others except for vital activities.
- Encourage respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.
- Require hand washing by employees upon arrival at work and continually throughout their shift.
- Encourage or require staff to wear cloth face coverings when interacting with customers.
- Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and contact the Springfield-Greene County Health Department for guidance.
Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidance
Kitchen:
- Application of the Missouri Food Code cleaning and disinfecting standards must be maintained in the kitchen at all times.*
- Clean and sanitize registers, ATMs, and client credit cards regularly.
Dining Area:
- Provide hand sanitizer at the entrance and exit of the establishment.
- Wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect.
- Increase frequency of cleaning, sanitation or disinfection of all frequently touched surfaces in the dining area (e.g. door handles, counter tops, light switches, etc.) during hours of operations
- Clean and disinfect tables, chairs and menus after each patron’s use.
- For disinfection, diluted household bleach solutions at 10% bleach, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.
- For soft (porous) surfaces such as carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes, remove visible contamination if present and clean with appropriate cleaners indicated for use on these surfaces.
- If the items can be laundered, launder items in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and then dry items completely.
- For electronics, such as tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATMs:
- Consider putting a wipeable cover on electronics
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and disinfecting
Physical Distancing Guidance for Employees and Patrons
- Space tables at least six feet apart, unless solid barriers at least six feet tall have been installed between tables or booths.
- Chairs at tables may be within six feet to allow family units to dine together.
- Outside seating must adhere to six feet distancing between tables, otherwise patrons must wear a face covering while seated except when drinking or eating. *
- If booths are utilized for dining, designate booths available for seating at every other booth to facilitate social distancing of six feet between customers.
- Number of patrons must not exceed ten per table.
- Avoid counter seating or communal table seating.
- Utilize cash registers (point of sale) in a manner that facilitates six feet physical distancing. This may involve only using every other cash register.
- Mark six feet spacing for patrons to wait in line for seats, wait in line at the point of sale and wait in line for restrooms.
- If social distancing guidelines cannot be maintained in the kitchen, then a face covering should be worn and laundered daily.