Local Restaurants: Getting Creative When Reopening

Owning and operating a restaurant comes with enough challenges to overcome. Add on a global pandemic and surviving as a local restaurant owner becomes ten times more challenging. We wanted to share the inspiring transformations New York City restaurant Ampia underwent in order to successfully re-open.

1. Re-designed their cleaning protocol
• The entire restaurant was sprayed with an electrostatic sanitary coating, which sanitizes for up to three months
• A facial recognition thermometer was placed at the door
• Guests were required to wear a mask and sanitize their hands when entering
2. Re-invented their dining space
• The dining venue was moved outside to a rooftop terrace featuring individual greenhouses for social distancing
• Seating capacity was cut down from 250 to 65 guests
3. Re-trained their staff 
• The servers, cooks and bartenders were trained to work as teams rather than in shifts
• The staff also received training on properly wearing personal protective equipment
4. Re-opened!

When the crisis hit, the owners of Ampia adapted. We encourage local restaurant owners in Windsor-Essex to also re-design, re-invent, re-train and ultimately, re-open.