As restaurants across the country are making plans to reopen dining rooms, Denny’s has a number of initiatives that are being implemented to ensure the safety of all guests and employees in response to COVID-19.

These new initiatives include best-in-class practices for operations, customer service, cleaning and sanitation and new social distancing measures.

Here’s a few examples of innovations that are being executed systemwide:

• Each restaurant now has a Sanitation Specialist who will disinfect surfaces following every guest visit.
• This person will wear an armband or vest that identifies their role and will reinforce safety protocols by leaving a card on every table notifying the new guests that the area has been disinfected.
• To ensure the highest level of cleanliness and sanitation, all high-touch and non-contact surfaces will be regularly deep cleaned using a two-step process: clean and disinfect, then sanitize.
• High-touch items like table caddies and condiments have been removed from tables
• Single-use menus will be utilized
• By June, tables will have a QR code option in the form of a table cling which brings up a digital menu on guests’ smartphone.
• Employees are required to wear face masks and gloves
• All restaurants have been supplied with instructions and supplies for mandatory temperature checks using no-touch forehead thermometers.
• Temperature checks are necessary for employees as well as vendors and service personnel entering the restaurant.
• Employees will be required to wash their hands and apply an alcohol-based sanitizer every 20 minutes. In addition, guests will also have easy access to hand sanitizer
• Denny’s is encouraging franchisee locations to install sanitary shields at each cash register.
• Denny’s has developed merchandising that highlights social distancing and other guest safety measures with floor decals, stanchion signs, door clings, roadside banners, yard signs, posters, and table cards, to name a few.
• Social distancing within restaurants is critical and dining rooms are rearranged to accommodate proper social distancing measures, with clear signage to mark tables that are not currently in use.