Huntsville restaurant week amid pandemic

Huntsville restaurant week amid pandemic

Added within the past week.

Thanks for joining us tonight -- i'm najahe sherman.

And i'm dan shaffer.

As huntsville restaurant week gets started, businesses are hoping that they see you, and that you see all they are doing to keep you safe from the spread of coronavirus.

Restaurant staff across north alabama are increasing sanitizing procedures over the next nine days.

Waay 31's casey albritton is live in downtown huntsville.

She has more on what you can expect to see when you sit down to eat.

Restaurant owners i spoke to said there are two main precautions they are taking-- they are wiping down tables and chairs after people eat-- and limiting the number of people inside buildings even more than usual.

Ryan colvin/ manager pane e vino pizzeria "we have to take care of everybody here.

Keep everybody happy and healthy, but we also have to make money."

Leandra poux/ owner fire and spice smokehouse "we are really hoping that this will pique people's interest to go and encourage them to help our local businesses."

For restaurant owners huntsville restaurant week is something they look forward to all year long... ryan colvin/ manager "we are excited and ready.

It's been an emotional ride."

But this year--it's looking a little different leandra poux/ owner fire and spice smokehouse "everyday we are cleaning, sanitizing, wearing masks, wearing gloves."

Restaurant owners say with more people trying local food, they have to clean even more than usual.

Leandra poux/ owner fire and spice smokehouse "we are going to regulate the flow of traffic a little bit better, kind of what we did in the beginning.

So, not so many people hoarding around up front, still having your six foot distance, six foot distancing at the tables, on the patio.

We are going to regulate that in a high alert state."

Ryan colvin/ manager "we have a system in place where if that person leaves, the manager and the person designated for cleaning, knows whether that table has been cleaned."

Fire and spice smokehouse owner, leandra poux, says while they've already been sanitizing frequently, customers will see employees wiping down high-contact surfaces even more.

Leandra poux/ owner fire and spice smokehouse "we kind of encourage right now is for them to leave their trash so we can see which tables need to be disinfected."

Pane e vino manager, ryan colvin, says even though the pandemic has impacted business, his employees will do whatever they can to make people feel comfortable.

Ryan colvin/ manager "taking care of people when they come in the door, so whether you want your table six feet apart or 60 feet apart, we're making that happen."

Restaurant week lasts through august 23rd.

Casey