The dining and fast food industry has changed drastically within the past year when COVID-19 occurred and is forced to adopt many new health and safety protocols .
All restaurants, fast food or otherwise, were while considered essential businesses and allowed to stay open, forced to adopt new ways in which to produce and sell their products. Many local family owned businesses on Long Island choose to close their doors in order to accommodate the new rules the state government has implemented.
One such business to take these proper steps is Marshall’s Ice Cream Bar in Massapequa, (where I currently work). Opting to close its doors for almost two months, Marshall’s has implemented many changes to keep its employees and customers safe.
According to Scott Frasse, an employee at Marshall’s, it is easy to see the effective changes that have been put in place. While this is only one food establishment’s response to the pandemic, it offers good insight into how other establishments should operate if they have not made changes already.
“Every worker in the store had a different customer they would attend to… they would come into the store… and everybody would be serving…” he said. “We don’t let people come into the store.”
The new setup included order takers, producers, a cashier, and runners. All of these jobs were essential to ensure that ice cream was properly handled and the lease amount of people who needed to be in contact with it was.
“I honestly love what my employers have done with the reaction toward COVID-19, I honestly wish more places would do what they’re doing,” Frasse said. “They’re taking a very safe response to it.”
But Marshall’s didn’t stop there. Along with many other stores and food establishments, plexiglass had been ordered to slowly allow people back into the store. However, since it is in such high demand, a makeshift barrier has been created and customers are allowed into the store three at a time.
The store was also not immune to customers who did not like the new safety measures put in place. Many businesses have been met with resistance from customers to wear a mask properly or wear one at all.
“I’ve had a couple altercations with some customers and how they have refused to wear masks,” Frasse said. “My employers will not allow me to serve anyone if they’re not wearing a mask.”
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently classifies eating and handling food as a low risk for COVID-19, these measures have been put into place to ensure everyone’s safety.
