Questions remain after new dine-in guidelines released

We will once again be permitted to dine in the ambiance of sit-down restaurants, effective May 21, when the next phase of West Virginia Strong: The Comeback takes effect.

Eat-in dining establishments will be allowed to open at 50% indoor capacity, according to new guidelines from the governor released Monday.

Among the new modus operandi are clear instructions for how and what to clean, what precautions to take to ensure employees don’t have COVID-19, how many feet away tables must be and where patrons are allowed to congregate.

Also among the new procedures are some not-so-clear mandates.

Such as a limit of six people in a party — but only for outdoor seating. Does that mean a group of individuals all residing in the same house numbering more than six can all sit together at one table, but only if they sit indoors? If a family of seven arrives at an establishment on a beautiful day and wants to eat on the patio, does one child or parent have to wait in the car? Or would the family have to eat inside? But what if there is no indoor seating available? Would they have to wait until a table inside opened up, or would they be denied service altogether?
And with the stipulation that only people who have been residing together can sit at one table, does that mean we can’t share a meal with friends or family who live outside our home? Or just that each not-living-together unit must sit six feet apart from all the rest? We imagine it would get pretty noisy if everyone had to yell across the restaurant to talk to the rest of their party.

Then, in the “Operations and Employee Protocol,” subsection “Sanitizing between each customer,” the rules state: “Between diners, clean and sanitize table condiments, digital ordering devices, check presenters, self-service areas, tabletops ….” Please note the inclusion of “self-service areas” in that list. In the next section, “Food Safety,” it says in bold letters, “No self-service,” and then elaborates: “No self-service food, drink, condiment or utensil stations are permitted.”

So … restaurants aren’t allowed to use any self-service — and therefore self-service areas — but employees have to sanitize self-service areas between diners? Seems like a waste of perfectly good cleaning product to sanitize an unused area during a time when disinfectants are a rare commodity.

Then there’s this gem: “Limit contact between workers and patrons by reducing the number of visits wait staff takes to each table.”

On the one hand, many of us would be relieved to not have to awkwardly respond to “How’s your food?” right after we’ve just taken a big bite and there’s not enough space in our mouths to even create an agreeable sound.

On the other hand, it never fails that as many times as wait staff stop at your table, there’s never an employee to be found when you actually need something. We would recommend restaurants put little hand bells at each table so patrons can ring for service, but that’s just one more thing that would have to be sanitized.