WHISTLE STOP PUB SAFETY PROCEDURES AND UPDATES

You must wear a mask when not at a table. 

On Thursday, 12th November, late afternoon I received a call from the health authority advising me that a regular customer of the Whistle Stop had just tested positive for the covid virus.

With our emphasis on taking names and phone numbers I was able to give them the names and numbers of the customers that were sitting with the customer who tested positive.

The last time that the customer that tested positive was in the pub was the afternoon of Wednesday the 4th of November.

There have been no reports of any staff or customers showing signs of the covid.

The whistle stop will continue our enforcement of all protocols that are required by the Health Authority.

Stay safe and we will do our best to provide a safe and clean establishment for our customers to eat and drink.

These are some of the guidelines and procedures we have put in place to keep our customers and staff safe during The COVID19 situation

Please social distance, wash your hands for 20 seconds (sing Happy Birthday) and be kind during this transition period. We appreciate our customers and staff and we are so excited to be able to welcome you back.

• Hand sanitizer stations at all three entrance/exits.

• Customers must wait to be seated, while waiting you must stay 2 meters apart (lines have been drawn on all walkways)

• Once sat with your party of no more than SIX you will receive a paper menu that has been untouched for a minimum of 1 week. (Worksafe BC states that no virus can survive on a paper surface for longer than 4 hours) a Box will be provided for the menus to be put into, dated and left untouched for at least 1 week.

• All tables with chairs are 2 meters apart.

• All waitstaff will wash their hands no less than every 30 minutes for a minimum of 20 seconds. However, they’re hands will be washed after removing any item from your table including (but not excluding):Menus, glassware, utensils, dishware, salt & pepper, vinegar bowls, finger bowls, buckets, bottles. After using the bathroom you will wash your hands in the bathroom, then wash them again in the sink at bar or in the kitchen. You will wash your hands after all food/smoke breaks. A person touches their hair or face an average of 3 to 47 times an hour! You must wash your hands after “accidentally” touching yourself.

• Daily temperature check for all employees when clocking in (maximum temperature allowed is 37.5/Celsius; anything above this employee is deemed unsafe to work) All staff have completed a health questionnaire upon returning that states they have not traveled out of the country in the past 14 days, nor do they have or show any signs of Covid-19. You will all have a calendar with your name on it. You will write down your temperature and check that you are well and have not travelled PRIOR to beginning your shift.

• Only cooks are permitted in the kitchen.• There are two types of trays for “fresh” service and removal of “dirty” items. They are colour coded. Green is clean. Red is “dirty”

• Staff will attempt at all times to keep their distance from both you and fellow employees. Employees are not to stand closely when preventable.

• After handling cash or credit terminal payments the device will be sanitized and employee will wash hands every time.

• Staff have been trained on all safety procedures that have been made available to us from Worksafe B.C., including how to properly prepare drinks and how to safely carry beverages and food to your table. You will use coffee mug handles for transporting. Deliver bottles and glasses on a TRAY and put at edge of table by lifting as close to the bottom of vessel. Fruit, beans and garnish must be placed on drink with tongs.

• Every morning the pub is cleaned and disinfected by a professional hired from an outside company.

• All day/night you will see we have disinfected all surfaces that both the employees and customers have been in contact with, including tables, chairs, door handles etc. When customers vacate a table you will clear absolutely everything off the table. Use sanitizer spray, let it sit for 20 seconds on table and chairs before wiping with paper towel. Wipe down salt & pepper shakers and vinegar bowls.

  • Customers must pack their own TO-Go food when dining in.
  • We will no longer be dumping drinks in the sink, use bucket provided. Dump the buckets content in the kitchen. We must keep the sink at bar sterile.
  • The coffee station has been moved so it is no longer near dirty dishes. This includes mugs, creamers and sugars.
  • You must wash your hands before entering the walk-in cooler so we don’t cross contaminate that handle.
  • When taking a reservation ask them if they have a preference of inside or outside. We cannot guarantee seats outside but will try. No parties OVER 6 will be permitted at this time. However, we are happy to seat people in the same “area” if they are larger than 6, but please advise them of this. NO ONE will be allowed to reserve a certain table.
  • We need to ask customers for their name and phone # and keep this log for 1 month.
  • Bartenders must use the opener on the wall behind bar.
  • When filling beer cases to max 24, use disposable gloves. Take all the way to the back, then wash hands.
  • Ice in pitchers for the Water station will be provided by the bartender. You are not refill these jugs from the ice buckets in the walk-in cooler.
  • The black bins of dirty dishes will be put into kitchen as usual. The bin will be washed between every use.
  • The window behind bar will no longer be used for anything except dirty dishes, and the clean bin after. NO MORE FOOD HERE!
  • No more popcorn.
  • There are guides on how to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and how to properly wash your hands placed throughout the pub. Please familiarize yourself with these posters.
  • There is to be nothing placed on a table. No tent cards, coasters, candles, salt or pepper.
  • If you see anyone at a non-designated table-chair, or if a 7th person joins a table YOU must intervene and correct the situation immediately!
  • If it is discovered that a cook has become ill following a shift, everything they came into contact with must be either sanitized or discarded.
  • Work Safe B.C. suggest wearing different shoes in the kitchen than your regular outdoor shoes.
  • When accepting deliveries keep 2 meters apart, accept delivery boxes then wash your hands.
  • If you handle any dirty dishes your hands must be washed prior to touching anything!