Restaurants

[camfused]

As of yesterday, we have stopped eating out, and will avoid all restaurants until this blows over. DW is fine with this, but I am going to have a hard time with this, since I grab lunch out just about every day...I enjoy the variety and being around people.

But, we do what we must, in these circumstances. We have cancelled all unnecessary interactions with people also: no church stuff, no music lessons, shop at grocery store at odd hours, etc. Hopefully, this will be better in a month.

 

[Ready]

For those of you who are still eating out frequently, does seeing the waitress pick up your glass with her hands to refill your water or deliver a plate of food with her bare hands concern you at all?

 

[camfused]

So, if you are going to go to a restaurant, is a fast-food (counter service) place better (less-exposure) than a sit down (full-service)?

It has been pointed out that waiters touch a lot of other stuff than just your glass.

Consider a fast-food place. You order and might be able to pay via Apple Pay or RF ID, and therefore not touch anything. A fast-food worker assembles your sandwich/burger. At some places, they wear gloves. Another worker, puts the wrapped sandwich/burger onto a tray, sticks a cup on it and hands it to you. The tray likely was not sanitized correctly.

So, at some places, not many people have touched your stuff. You find a corner table, and you might be ok.

Now, for a sit-down place. You walk in and talk to a hostess to get a table. They seat you. The server takes your order and brings you drinks. The server may refill your drinks too, touching them. The cook assembles your meal, then the server picks up the plates and puts them on a tray and brings to your table. You probably hand your card to the server to have it processed when done. After you leave, the server (sometimes) clears your table.

So, it seems to me that the fast-food place might be a little less exposure. What do y'all think?

 

[luckydude]

Have you changed your habits related to eating out in restaurants since the virus outbreak?

I went out to eat with some friends this week. It did not appear they made any changes to their procedures as a result of the outbreak. The woman who was in charge of refilling drinks kept insisting on picking up each person’s glass with her hands and refilling it with water. I refused to let it out of my hand and just asked her to pour it while I hold the glass and she seemed to be irritated with me.

They leave salt and pepper shakers out. They handle plates, silverware and glasses with their bare hands. They don’t wipe down their menus. They don’t wear gloves. It’s as if nothing has changed.

Now I’m reluctant to eat out any more. Am I being unrealistic to expect them to change?

We've stopped going to places like Chipotle or Panda Express, where food is in open containers that are susceptible to droplets as staff and customers talk over them.

Lucky Dude

 

[Ready]

I think the dirtiest thing in the restaurant is probably the menu.

 

[NW-Bound]

Have you changed your habits related to eating out in restaurants since the virus outbreak?

I went out to eat with some friends this week. It did not appear they made any changes to their procedures as a result of the outbreak. The woman who was in charge of refilling drinks kept insisting on picking up each person’s glass with her hands and refilling it with water. I refused to let it out of my hand and just asked her to pour it while I hold the glass and she seemed to be irritated with me.

They leave salt and pepper shakers out. They handle plates, silverware and glasses with their bare hands. They don’t wipe down their menus. They don’t wear gloves. It’s as if nothing has changed.

Now I’m reluctant to eat out any more. Am I being unrealistic to expect them to change?

There's nothing like a newscast of long lines of people waiting for their turn at the ER to scare people. Even then, some people do not pay attention to the news.

The virus has to be more spread before people take notice and be afraid. It's just human nature.

 

[jazz4cash]

I am not too worried about it. Honestly almost no place is as sanitary as home. Surely the staff handle the glassware and plates with hopefully clean hands when serving so not a big deal if they pick up a glass to pour. My peeve is when they grab a glass from the top instead of the side which is due to poor training. Around here they are on a no straws kick to make matters worse for those who are sensitive to drinking in restaurants.

I wash my hands frequently anyway but almost no place has hot enough water to meet the guidelines for proper handwashing. They post signs warning/reminding employees to wash before returning to work but the water is lukewarm at best

 

[Ready]

My peeve is when they grab a glass from the top instead of the side which is due to poor training. Around here they are on a no straws kick to make matters worse for those who are sensitive to drinking in restaurants.

Picking the glass up from the bottom is definitely better. But that is where I need to put my hand when I pick up the glass to take a sip. So while keeping her hands away from where I put my mouth is good, it still requires me to handle the glass with my hands in the same place that she held it with her hands. And the hands are one of the most common ways to transfer the virus. So either way is not ideal.

Why not just ask the person to place the glass by the side of the table so they can reach it without touching it?

 

[Luck_Club]

Ate out at a local mom & Pop place tonight. I had been there 3-4 weeks ago on a Friday night and it was a 45 minute wait, with the bar packed as well. Roughly same time frame and it was literally 1/2 full.

Doing my part I doubled the tip!

Coming home saw a notice about the annual condo board meeting being canceled. Caused me to run some numbers.

2100 cases so far in the USA. As of today you stand a 1 in 6.574 million chance of coming in contact with someone with Corona Virus. Lottery tickets here I come.

Media hyped hysteria.

Recall the difference between Corona and say swine flu::

CDC Estimates of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths in the United States
During the pandemic, CDC provided estimates of the numbers of 2009 H1N1 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on seven different occasions. Final estimates were published in 2011. These final estimates were that from April 12, 2009 to April 10, 2010 approximately 60.8 million cases (range: 43.3-89.3 million), 274,304 hospitalizations (195,086-402,719), and 12,469 deaths (8868-18,306) occurred in the United States due to pH1N1. These final estimates are available at: Estimating the burden of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in the United States (April 2009-April 2010)External Web Site Icon, Shrestha SS, et al., Clin Infect Dis. 2011 Jan 1;52 Suppl 1:S75-82.

 

[Ready]

2100 cases so far in the USA. As of today you stand a 1 in 6.574 million chance of coming in contact with someone with Corona Virus. Lottery tickets here I come.

Media hyped hysteria.

We have no idea how many people in this country are infected. The last count I heard was that we have only tested about 13,000 people in the entire country. So almost 20% of the people we have tested have confirmed they are infected.

That’s about as many people as South Korea tests in one day. Without testing we have no idea who may have the virus. I suspect the real number is several orders of magnitude higher than that.

There are so many people out there with flu symptoms who have been refused a Covid-19 test. Any of those people could potentially have it. And without testing we are not sufficiently quarantining. So we are just at the beginning of this pandemic with no idea how bad it may get.

 

[garyt]

We have no idea how many people in this country are infected. The last count I heard was that we have only tested about 13,000 people in the entire country. So almost 20% of the people we have tested have confirmed they are infected.

That’s about as many people as South Korea tests in one day. Without testing we have no idea who may have the virus. I suspect the real number is several orders of magnitude higher than that.

There are so many people out there with flu symptoms who have been refused a Covid-19 test. Any of those people could potentially have it. And without testing we are not sufficiently quarantining. So we are just at the beginning of this pandemic with no idea how bad it may get.

I agree, And I'm so tired of people comparing the numbers of CV-19 to the swine flu or whatever. Those are in the past and done, all cases are accounted for, this is just in the beginning we have no idea where it will go. So of course right now the (insert your favorite flu of the past) will look worse than CV-19 at this time. Hopefully it will stay that way and the naysayers will get to say "Told you so" but I doubt it.

 

[Ronstar]

Have you changed your habits related to eating out in restaurants since the virus outbreak?

We have changed our habits immensely. Wiping down salt, pepper, ketchup, etc containers at our table. Washing our hands before and after meals. No buffets.

 

[Jerry1]

[MOD HAT ON] The thread topic is about restaurants and how your habits with regards to restaurants may have changed. How many people are identified and how Italian doctors are handing the medical cases is way off topic. Please get back on topic.

 

[Ready]

We have changed our habits immensely. Wiping down salt, pepper, ketchup, etc containers at our table. Washing our hands before and after meals. No buffets.

What are you wiping down the containers with? Are you bringing something like Lysol wipes to the restaurant? If you do that, do you have to first disinfect everything on the table, and then go to the bathroom to wash your hands?

And do you repeat the process after you finish handling the menu and place your order? It seems like so much work it’s just not worth bothering to eat out anymore.

 

[MRG]

We quit.

 

[Sunset]

For those of you who are still eating out frequently, does seeing the waitress pick up your glass with her hands to refill your water or deliver a plate of food with her bare hands concern you at all?

Yep, DW always tells me not to push the food over the side of a plate, as that is where the waitress touches it.

We normally go out twice a week, but I'm on meds right now, so no restaurants.

 

[tmm99]

Would anyone consider eating at a buffet? How about the prepared foods at places like Whole Foods where it’s kept in warming trays and everything is self serve?

I wouldn't do either at this point in time for the obvious reasons.

I went out once last week and this week. Both times, we went to a bar/grill/sports bar after volleyball (Yes, I still play volleyball. I wish people quit doing low 5's during the game. I don't touch my face/nose/ears during the game and wash my hands after the game...) I use a hand sanitizer after touching the menu at restaurants and I stack napkins and use the ones on top. I use a straw to drink out of my glass. I think I'll start carrying disinfectant wipes with me and wipe the tabletop and maybe even wipe the utensils...

We used to do Chinese and Vietnamese takeouts occasionally, but we stopped that. We still order pizzas for pickup once in a while though...

I've just heard that a couple of people in our area tested positive, but both bar/grill/sports bars were very busy probably because people still think that the virus is happening elsewhere but here.

I'll probably reduce those outings once the number of people with the virus increases a bit more here, but for now, I'm just hoping my volleyball friends aren't infected and the rest is just the luck of the draw, I guess...

 

[Aerides]

Since I live in FL I'll opt for outdoor seating. Still going out (but we don't go out much anyway), observing there's a LOT more care and wiping going on by staff.

Overheard last night "no one has it in Boca yet!" Everywhere was packed as normal, I think people wanted a release after the craziness, or a last hurrah, who knows.

Tonight is sushi, and we'll get a brand new set of chopsticks out of a closed wrapper like we always do, so there's that!

 

[f35phixer]

went to local place last night, USUALLY packed, Nope!!!! kinda crazy.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Local Italian for lunch yesterday. Should have been packed. Hardly anyone there.

My thoughts were just the opposite from most on this post. The local kids sell discount coupons to raise money for the high school sporting teams. Seems like we never use them. I am thinking with no crowds, I may have the opportunity to use a few in a quiet restaurant.

Your observations about using carryout or watching how servers refill glasses and your concerns about buffets, salad bars and sushi are helpful.

 

[Midpack]

Many businesses are between a rock and a hard place, certainly restaurants.

We go out for lunch or dinner 2-3 times a week, and haven’t stopped yet, but we’re being more cautious about what we order, where we sit and what we touch.

While we should all be proactively cautious, all evidence suggests 80-90% of us will only have mild symptoms if we’re infected with Covid-19. Those most at risk need to self isolate, but that’s not necessary for most, and who’s at risk isn’t a mystery. People at high risk include people:

• Over 65 years of age, or
• with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, or
• with weakened immune systems.

 

[Ronstar]

What are you wiping down the containers with? Are you bringing something like Lysol wipes to the restaurant? If you do that, do you have to first disinfect everything on the table, and then go to the bathroom to wash your hands?



And do you repeat the process after you finish handling the menu and place your order? It seems like so much work it’s just not worth bothering to eat out anymore.

We choose from menu first, then wipe down things on table with Wet Ones brand individuality wrapped wipes, then to the bathroom for a hand wash.

But we may not be cleaning the water glasses after every time that the waitstaff refills.

Lots of things to remember. But all of this isn’t foolproof when someone at a neighboring table is coughing and sneezing.

 

[PatrickA5]

I've gotten an email from all of the chains (that have my email address) stating their new enhanced cleaning process. Even our local pizzeria sent me an email. I doubt they are actually doing all of the steps they say they are, but I guess it's important to make us feel a little safer eating out.

We've started taking hand sanitizer with us, using it before and after the meal. But, that's about it. I don't expect waitresses to not touch my glass.

Went to two restaurants yesterday. As packed as always. My city has 2 confirmed cases, but so far no known community spread. I imagine if it gets worse, we'll see less people eating out.

 

[audreyh1]

What are you wiping down the containers with? Are you bringing something like Lysol wipes to the restaurant? If you do that, do you have to first disinfect everything on the table, and then go to the bathroom to wash your hands?

And do you repeat the process after you finish handling the menu and place your order? It seems like so much work it’s just not worth bothering to eat out anymore.

Agreed!

 

[audreyh1]

While we should all be proactively cautious, all evidence suggests 80-90% of us will only have mild symptoms if we’re infected with Covid-19. Those most at risk need to self isolate, but that’s not necessary for most, and who’s at risk isn’t a mystery.

Unfortunately that number applies over all age groups. For those of us 60+ on this forum the chances of having truly mild symptoms is far lower.

And you also really have to think about infecting other people. We are already practicing social distancing because we don’t want to spread the virus to the elder care home where DF stays. You may be lucky to have a mild case, but you will also contribute to spreading before you even realize you are sick.