Coronavirus Food Safety: How Café Services is Protecting Corporate Diners & Employees

Coronavirus Food Safety in Our Corporate Cafeterias

As a leader in corporate dining since 1993, Café Services is committed to maintaining high standards of food service safety.  Our clients in more than 225 locations across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic depend on us to be at the forefront of best practices in sourcing, preparing, and serving fresh food in their corporate cafeterias.

Understandably, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concern about public dining safety, and inspired a new set of protocols to protect everyone’s well-being.  Once again, Café Services is leading the way in providing business clients with foodservice confidence as employee populations return to workplaces.

Now more than ever, our locally-based and flexible business model sets Café Services apart from national corporate dining foodservice vendors.  Our actively-involved local leaders and accessible front-line managers truly partner with you, to quickly pivot in support of keeping your employees safe, healthy and productive.

We consistently monitor COVID-19 food service safety guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease and Restaurant Best Practices during COVID-19.

Additionally, you can expect our team to protect yours by going above and beyond standard food safety best practices in the many ways we’ve outlined below.  We also maintain a Food Safety Inspection Report at every location we serve, available for review upon request.

PPE and Safety Tools to Protect the Health of Patrons and Employees

In addition to the existing stringent foodservice safety protocols in all of our corporate cafeterias, Café Services has implemented extra controls to safeguard the health and safety of our patrons and employees in the COVID-19 environment.

Employee Health Monitoring and Touchless Thermometers

Before a café staff member can begin work, they visit a check-in station at the staff entrance where their temperature is taken via touchless thermometer.  They also complete a brief form in yes/no format to record their answers to these questions:  Is your temperature within acceptable parameters? Are you experiencing COVID-19 symptoms? Have you been exposed to anyone with COVID-19?

Employees must follow FDA guidance regarding personal hygiene, and any employee with known or suspected COVID-19 must self-isolate and follow stringent return-to-work requirements.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

To prevent contamination, employees are required to wear PPE including:

• Face masks
• Safety glasses
• Single-use gloves
• Hair restraints such as hats, caps, or hair nets

Prevention Barriers and Social Distancing Tools

Locations with attended cash register stations feature clear acrylic shields to minimize contact between patrons and staff.  Staff members take staggered breaks to limit break room population in support of social distancing.

Safety Signage

Display signs at each entrance and floor signs throughout the café guide diners to appropriate ordering or pickup stations, and clearly illustrate the appropriate space for social distancing.

Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols

Beyond our typical protocols and high standards for cleanliness in our kitchens and customer-facing areas, we’ve added these cleaning and disinfection protocols:

Disinfection of High Touch Points

All surfaces that are repeatedly-touched by diners or café staff are frequently disinfected with EPA-approved disinfectants according to a predetermined schedule.  Pin-pad touch screens and checkout counters are disinfected after every use.

In our kitchens, all food preparation surfaces and equipment, beverage equipment, dishware and utensils are also washed, rinsed, and sanitized after use.

Hand Sanitizer Stations at Multiple Locations

EPA-approved disinfectant hand-sanitizer wipes or liquids are available for all guests at café entrances, exits, and cash register stations.

Appropriate Table Spacing in Dining Areas

We provide our corporate clients with guidance for updating floor plans with café table spacing and seating arrangements that ensure the appropriate separation between dining patrons.

Freshly-prepared food is provided daily for our micro markets.

Using Technology for Safe Corporate Dining

Café Services pioneered the use of technology to provide prompt and convenient access to fresh food.

Our proven successful Grab & Go Self-checkout and Micro Market programs have always offered convenient access to on-site prepared and packaged meals and snacks uniquely customized to the preferences of diners at each location we serve.

Particularly in the COVID-19 environment, our use of proven technology supports patrons’ convenience, ensures safe food handling, and promotes touchless operations to reduce person-to-person interaction.

Secure, Convenient Pre-order and Pre-pay Technology:

Using a phone, tablet, or computer, a customer can order from an online menu of fresh, on-site prepared meals, and designate a pickup time.  We send a text when their order is ready for pickup at a designated area in the café.  We can also work with clients to accommodate delivery of multiple meal orders to a designated pickup area in the building.

Self-Checkout Scanning for Grab and Go Convenience:

Our self-checkout enables diners to simply scan each barcoded item and pay with either a fast chip and pin credit card transaction, or use Google Pay or Apple Pay.

Contactless Food Service

To maximize health safety by minimizing personal contact, we have discontinued self-service salad bars and specialty food stations with common-use dispensers or utensils.

Coffee Service Station

Our popular Coffee Station will now feature Cafe Services staff members wearing appropriate PPE, who will prepare each patron’s coffee according to his or her preference.

Grab & Go Meals and Grocery items

Individual Meals and Snacks – A variety of fresh, on-site prepared sandwiches, salads, entrees and snacks and beverages are available as a contactless food service for grab & go convenience.

Family-Style Take-home Meals – As a convenient option for families, we offer a variety of freshly-prepared multiple-portion meals for take home convenience.

Fresh Meats, Dairy, Bakery, and Grocery Items – We also provide many carry-out options ranging from fresh deli, dairy, produce, bakery and grocery items, such as:

• • Fresh-baked breads and bakery items
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • A variety of fresh meats and seafood
  • Fresh-sliced Boars Head deli meats
  • Fresh dairy products
  • Paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

Contactless Catering Services

Carry Out Catering Services

Our convenient carry-out contactless catering service provides customers with a streamlined experience.  Mobile access features online menus that enable diners to browse online menus and place their catering order via smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.

All catering orders are individually packaged in single-serve boxes to eliminate contamination during serving. Servings are packaged in a recyclable cardboard box, and ready for pickup in a designated area of the cafe.

Drop Off Catering Services

Upon request, we perform contactless drop-off catering to accommodate groups of diners with individually-packaged meals and snacks, for delivery anywhere in the building.

Coronavirus Food Safety FAQs

Below we answer the most common inquiries we’ve received from our corporate dining clients.