KEEPTUCSONCOOKING.com
Welcome to Tucson Metro Chamber's KeepTucsonCooking.com—the place focused on helping local bars and restaurants thrive while encouraging the public to support them! Learn about safety protocols that are in place in these establishments, what the Chamber is doing to help Tucson Restaurant Advisory Council (TRAC) members, and much more. Above all, we want you to work up an appetite so you dine in or order outstanding food to-go. Bon appetit!
This "You Are Essential" video was made possible through a partnership between Tucson Metro Chamber and Vantage West.
Specials
NEWS
Everyone champions higher wages, but not when it’s done illegally.
Vote no on 206, Tucson deserves better.
www.kold.com/2021/10/18/preview-parts-minimum-wage-proposition-may-be-unconstitutional/
Tucson City Attorney: Parts of minimum wage initiative are unconstitutional
www.kold.com
City Attorney Mike Rankin is questioning parts of Prop 206, which if passed would increase the minimum wage in the city of Tucson to $15 per hour.Tucson does. Duh! #keeptucsoncooking
El Paso, Texas Vs. Tucson, Arizona: Who Has The Best Mexican Food?
www.travelawaits.com
Tucson and El Paso are known for their Mexican cuisine. But is one city's better than the other's? Read our writer's conclusions.MAKE A RESERVATION OR ORDER TAKE OUT FROM THESE TRAC MEMBERS
Gentle Ben's Brewing
Ten55 Brewing Company
Bisbee Breakfast Club
The Funky Monk
Wildflower
Sullivan's
Phone: (520) 299-4275
Culinary Dropout
Reservations: opentable.com
Phone: (520) 299-4275
Caruso's
Black Bear Diner
Menu: https://blackbeardiner.com/menus/
Order for pickup or delivery: https://order.blackbeardiner.com/
Phone: (520) 790-8881
Whataburger
Menu: whataburger.com
Order: whataburger.com
Sentinel Peak Brewing Company
Blanco Tacos + Tequila
Pappoule's
Phone: (520) 544-5551
Pappoule's
Phone: (520) 544-5551
Peter Piper Pizza
Mi Nidito
Menu: minidito.net
Order: postmates.com
Phone: (520) 622-5081
Mama Louisa's Italian Restaurant & Catering
Divine Bovine
Order: doordash.com
Barrio Bread
Menu: barriobread.com
Phone: (520) 327-1292
Chick-fil-A
Churrasco De Brasil
Frost
Hotel McCoy - Art, Coffee, Beer, Wine
Phone: (844) 782-9622
Los Betos Mexican Food
we-goget.com
doordash.com
ubereats.com
Kingfisher
Reservations: opentable.com
Phone: (520) 323-7739
Johnny Gibson's Downtown Market
Ten55 Brewing Company
The Maverick King of Clubs
Barrio Charro
Order: ordering.app
Phone: (520) 372-1922
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Shamrock Foods
Phone: (520) 624-8667
McDonald’s
Menu: mcdonalds.com
Tucson’s voice at the table. Let’s thrive together.
The restaurant industry is big business that contributes $1 trillion to our country’s economy. The Chamber's Restaurant Advisory Council directs the Chamber team on identifying and sharing best practices, policy issues hindering the hospitality and restaurant industry and ways to solve these issues.
This Council meets regularly and develops proactive agendas to solve these issues.
Join the chamber
Join TRAC
How our restaurants are keeping us safe
Items identified by an * indicates a requirement by the
Pima County Health Department.
PREPARE THE WORKFORCE
- Wellness/symptom checks, including temperature checks for all restaurant personnel, and when possible for vendors, contractors, third party delivery service workers, etc. as they arrive on premises and before opening of a restaurant.*
- Implement strict handwashing practices using soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after touching your face, nose, coughing, etc., going to the bathroom, and before eating or preparing food, and between servings.*
- Cloth masks and gloves and/or frequent hand-washing is required for all servers and restaurant personnel. Develop or follow handwashing policy for servers as it exists in the Pima County Food Code.*
- Mitigate anxiety by thoughtfully preparing employees to return to work. Increased communication is key.
- Provide ServSafe food handler training for your workers. They’re your front line; educating them protects them, you and your guests. Require all employees to complete new COVID-19 ServSave Certification. (It is free and only takes 10 mins.)
- The operator should identify signs of potential illness during a pre-work screening, following the business and Health Department guidelines for returning to work after illness. Additionally, follow CDC guidelines – tell the employee to self-isolate If COVID-like symptoms, 14 days from the onset of symptoms and be symptom-free for three days without medication.
- Consider assigning duties to vulnerable workers that minimize contact with customers and other employees.
- Limit crew members in bringing in personal belongings to limit touching of surfaces.
- Handshaking or personal contact should be forbidden by Crew Members.
COMMUNICATIONS
- Physical and/or electronic signage posting at the restaurant entrance of
public health advisories prohibiting individuals who are symptomatic from
entering the premises.*
- Clearly mark 6-foot spacing along entrances, hallways, restrooms andany
other location within a restaurant where ques may form or patrons may
congregate.*
- Pima County Health Notice - Posting of the “STOP Please do not enter if you
have COVID-19 symptoms” at the entrance of the facility.*
- Post signs reminding guests about social distancing. Thank them for their
patience as you work to ensure their safety.
- Place signs in restroom hallway or entrance to remind guests of the
suggested limit of one guest per restroom at a time unless accompanying a
child or someone in need of additional assistance.
- Ensure mandatory handwashing signs are visible in all restrooms. The
current requirement is “employees must wash hands before returning to
work” - consider changing signage to include all employees and patrons
must wash hands...
- Update your restaurants website. Ensure your new hours are listed, whether
you are offering delivery or takeout, and your
- Update your social media channels...and keep posting! Make sure you are
advertising that on your social media platforms and engaging with your
customers consistently.
- Add a note on your restaurant’s website about your sanitation and cleaning
procedures.
- Ensure third-party sites that list your website are updated.
FOOD PREPARATION, EQUIPMENT & SERVICE
- Hand sanitizers available at or adjacent to entrances to the facility, restrooms and in employee work areas, or soap and running water readily accessible to staff and customers and marked locations.*
- Cold holding equipment is holding less than 41° F.*
- Hot holding equipment is holding greater than 141° F.*
- Use linens that have been washed at a temperature of at least 160° F.*
- Check all equipment, water supply, fire suppression and HVAC systems for proper working function to be compliant to all local, state and federal codes. Ensure HVAC filters are clean and changed often, at least every 30 days.
- Ensure crew sanitizes timeclock/clock in tablet before touching. Consider placing (Lysol/Clorox) wipes by timeclock.
- Wipe down/sanitize all items coming into the store, including mail, delivery boxes, inventory items, etc.
SOCIAL DISTANCING PLAN
- Physical distancing of 6 feet minimum between tables. Bar top or counter
seating is not allowed, unless each party is spaced approximately 6 feet
apart.*
- Clearly marked 6-foot spacing marks and/or signage along entrances,
hallways, restrooms and any other location within a restaurant where
queues may form or patrons may congregate.*
- Limit parties to no larger than 10 allowed per table.*
- Indoor occupancy limited to 50 percent unless meeting physical distancing
standards allows a higher occupancy.*
- Where practical, especially in booth seating, physical barriers are
acceptable.
- Seat guests in intervals or rotations to allow proper time and process to
clean and sanitize all dining and seating surfaces before and after every
guest visit.
- Consider continuing food delivery or curbside pickup. Establish procedures
for touchless pickup (i.e. setting customer’s order on table for them to pick
up, rather than handing order directly to them).
- When possible, exit should be separate from the entrance.
- Determine ingress/egress to and from restrooms to establish paths that
mitigate proximity for guests and staff.
- Limit of one guest per restroom at a time, unless accompanying a child or
someone in need of additional assistance.
- Extend premise outdoors onto vacant land, into vacant building space, in
common areas, sidewalks or parking lots as allowed by a Pima County
temporary extension of premise permit.
REDUCE TOUCH POINTS
- Implement touchless payment methods if possible.*
Elimination of self-service stations including salad bars and buffets.*
- Sanitize customer areas after each sitting with EPA-registered disinfectant, including but not limited to: tables, tablecloths, chairs/booth seats, table-top condiments and condiment holders.*
- Between seatings, clean and sanitize table condiments, digital ordering devices, check presenters, self-service areas, tabletops, and common touch areas.
- Trays, tables, chairs, highchairs, boosters and bar stools shall be cleaned and sanitized after each use.
- Pens and writing utensils should be sanitized after every use. If customers need to use pens to sign credit card slips, have a bin of clean/sanitized pens as well as a “dirty” bin for pens that have been used. Sanitize pens before replacing into “clean” bin.
- Eliminate guests or unauthorized persons, including Crew Members off duty or coming in to pick up something, in food service preparation areas.
- Use door stops, foot pull devices and automatic doors if available.
- Consider cashless payment methods. For cash transactions, use hand sanitizer before and after every transaction.
TRAC Partners in Strength
Restaurant Advisory Council Partners in Strength are not only supporters of our local restaurant industry but Southern Arizona's entire business community.
Become a Partner In Strength