The company announced via website that they would be joining restaurants like McDonald's, Cracker Barrel, and others, to reopen their dining rooms for food service. If you recall, the company closed dining rooms, per state guidelines when the COVID-19 spread occurred in March.
Hundreds of locations are now reopening across the U.S., Rick Badgley, executive vice president and chief people and administrative officer, says. The company has been preparing for this moment, Badgley explains.
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(The restaurant's parent company Brinker also owns Maggiano’s, which is following a similar reopening strategy, FYI.)
What are they doing to keep employees and customers safe? To start, workers are required to wear masks and gloves and must wash their hands for at least 20 seconds every 30 minutes, and after touch points like touching a credit card.
The new protocols also require that any employee who displays symptoms of COVID-19 is not allowed to work until they are free of symptoms for at least 3 days. Lastly, if an employee tests positive, they cannot return to work for at least 14 days. Seems reasonable!
So, how are Chili's lovers reacting the news? You bet, it's positive! Twitter has been flooded with customers sharing their first dine-in experience since the outbreak. Aw!