Frequently Asked Questions - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Q: How is Hooters responding to the COVID-19 outbreak?
A: Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our guests has long been a part of our values and operating procedures. We continue to follow recommendations from local and state authorities to ensure that now more than ever, Hooters is your oasis to feel completely comfortable and at home. In addition to increasing sanitation of high-touch, high-traffic areas, we are continuing to use our tamper-evident bags for take-out and delivery orders and we encourage guests to make non-cash payments if possible. With everyone’s health a priority for us all, we ask that any guest not feeling well to please stay home and order your favorite wings for delivery or pickup through Hooters To Go or third-party delivery service. For easy convenience, a sign outlining our protective measures being taken is posted on the front door of each restaurant.
Q: Are you opening all Hooters locations in states that have started reopening and approved restaurants can reopen?
A: The health and safety of our team members and guests is our top priority and we are working hard to ensure each restaurant is ready to reopen. At this time, we have reopened select restaurants following state and local approvals and guidelines. To stay informed on the status of your local Hooters feel free to visit our website for the most up-to-date information. We are excited to welcome you back into our restaurants as soon as we feel it is responsible and safe to do so. Until then, we invite you to order your favorite wings through our curbside service, takeout and delivery options.
Q: How are you making sure your team members are not sick?
A: We are implementing multiple steps to ensure our team members stay safe. Each member of our team will be screened prior to each shift they work, including temperature checks, to confirm that they are not exhibiting any symptoms of illness and are required to wash hands at the start of every shift as well as during 30-minute intervals (or more often as needed) during their shifts. Additionally, we are providing each team member with proper PPE equipment to wear during their shifts. Any team member who is feeling ill or reports any symptoms of illness will immediately be asked to stay home.
Q: How are you implementing social distancing in your restaurants?
A: The safety and well-being of our guests and team members is part of our core values. In compliance with social distancing protocols required by local and state authorities, we are limiting the number of guests inside our restaurants and requiring team members and guests to maintain an appropriate distance of six feet when moving throughout the restaurant. Restaurants with higher traffic will be closely managing waiting areas and outside the entrance to the restaurant to ensure proper social distancing is observed. Additionally, each restaurant will have a main point of contact that will oversee all hygiene and social distancing practices.
Q: How often do you wipe down surfaces and are you using an approved COVID-19 disinfectant?
A: Yes, we use an approved COVID-19 disinfectant. We have increased the sanitation of high-contact areas such as door handles, faucets and point of sale devices. All high traffic areas will be wiped down and disinfected hourly, with tables and chairs being thoroughly wiped down after every table is turned over. Additionally, we are currently conducting a deep cleaning each night at each restaurant.
Q: Are you supplying face coverings for your employees?
A: We are providing all team members with face coverings and gloves that must be worn during their shift, and gloves are required to be replaced regularly after guest interactions. Additionally, for added protection to both our guests and team members, we encourage guests to wear face coverings when not seated.
Q: Do guests have to wear face coverings and gloves in the restaurant? What about employees?
A: We ask that guests comply with local and state mandates with regards to face coverings. In an effort to keep our team members safe as well as our guests, all Hooters team members are required to wear face coverings and gloves while in the restaurant.
Q: Do you provide hand sanitizer in your restaurant locations?
A: Yes, we’ve added hand sanitizer stations near the entrance of our restaurants for guests to use. All guests should apply hand sanitizer upon entering the restaurant.
Q: How are you ensuring your employees are properly trained in required COVID-19 safety and sanitation procedures?
A: The safety and well-being of our guests and team members is part of our core values. To ensure compliance with all COVID safety protocols required by local and state authorities, we are requiring team members to attend extensive related training. We have updated our onboarding and training processes and materials to include required COVID 19 safety and sanitation protocol. Additionally, we have multiple daily communication channels to ensure all managers and employees are updated in real-time and remain competent, confident and comfortable in their roles as they safely serve our guests.
Q: Can I get my order to go?
A: Absolutely. Order online at HootersToGo.com, via the Hooters app, or by calling the nearest location to place an order. You can also place an order for delivery through Doordash, UberEats or your preferred delivery provider.
Q: I have concerns about another guest's health condition. Who can I report that to?
A: Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our guests is part of our everyday values. We posted a sign on the front of each of our restaurant doors asking guests who aren’t feeling well to please stay home or order their meal to-go. However, we will certainly look into your concerns. Additionally, if you are concerned for your own safety in our restaurant, we are happy to pack your meal to-go.
Q: The Hooters Girls typically wear shorts and tank tops. How are you protecting them from potentially contracting the virus?
A: The safety of our team members is our top priority. We are providing all team members with face coverings and gloves that must be worn during their shift. Additionally, all team members will be following strict social distancing protocols while in the restaurants.
Q: Do you have plastic silverware available?
A: Yes, we offer plastic silverware if guests specify that they are concerned about reuse.
Q: Can I get COVID-19 from a food worker handling my food?
A (FDA): Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. However, the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person in some communities in the U.S. The CDC recommends that if you are sick, stay home until you are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.
Anyone handling, preparing and serving food should always follow safe food handling procedures, such as washing hands and surfaces often.
Q: Can I get sick with COVID-19 from touching food, the food packaging, or food contact surfaces, if the coronavirus was present on it?
A (FDA): Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects. For that reason, it is critical to wash your hands often, including utensils.
Q: Since restaurant workers and other service industry employees have ongoing contact with the public, are there any special precautions these workers should take to avoid becoming sick with a respiratory illness, such as wearing masks?
A (FDA): CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility). CDC recommends everyday preventive actions for everyone, including service industry workers and customers:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
Q: Is the U.S. food supply safe?
A (FDA): Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.
Unlike foodborne gastrointestinal (GI) viruses like norovirus and hepatitis A that often make people ill through contaminated food, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is a virus that causes respiratory illness and not gastrointestinal illness, and foodborne exposure to this virus is not known to be a route of transmission.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. That’s why it’s always critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill.
Q: Are food products produced in the United States a risk for the spread of COVID-19?
A (USDA): There is no evidence to suggest that food produced in the United States can transmit COVID-19.
https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
Q: Are meat products compromised by the Coronavirus?
A (USDA): We are not aware of any reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging. However, it is always important to follow good hygiene practices (i.e., wash hands and surfaces often, separate raw meat from other foods, cook to the right temperature, and refrigerate foods promptly) when handling or preparing foods.
https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
Q: Can I become sick with coronavirus (COVID-19) from food?
A (USDA): We are not aware of any reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging. However, it is always important to follow good hygiene practices (i.e., wash hands and surfaces often, separate raw meat from other foods, cook to the right temperature, and refrigerate foods promptly) when handling or preparing foods.
https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
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Other helpful links
Dine out or eat in during the coronavirus crisis? Here's what public health and food safety experts say.
Are food deliveries and groceries safe during coronavirus pandemic? Yes, experts say.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/health/food-safety-groceries-coronavirus-wellness/index.html
Hooters – Our commitment to safety as we navigate Covid-19.
https://www.hooters.com/about/news/our-commitment-to-safety-as-we-navigate-covid-19
Updated: May 4,2020