BOCA RATON, Fla. — Although they’re only allowed to open at 25 percent capacity, many restaurants haven’t opened their doors yet because they’re adding new technology to make dining cleaner and safer.
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Casa D'Angelo in Boca Raton isn't opening until Friday because the restaurant wanted more time to implement new gadgets to keep the space sanitized.
The eatery is adding a fresh coat of paint to their entire dining room, as well as fogging the area with probiotics before guests dine in.
"I have been in business for 25 years and I want to make sure, I want to keep being in business for many many years to come," said restaurant owner Angelo Elia.
When the Boca Raton restaurant opens on Friday, guests will notice ultraviolet light wands that will be used to disinfect tables, door handles that double as hand sanitizer stations, and disposable menus.
"We want to do all the right things," said Elia.
This week, the restaurant is being fogged with a probiotics solution to kill bad bacteria, and from now on, a tasteless, odorless probiotic solution will be dispersed into the restaurant every few hours.
Elia said these steps, along with having employees wear masks and gloves, will hopefully make people feel safe to dine out again.
"We can see the light at the tunnel," said Elia. "It’s really incredible we can reopen again."
At Johnnie Brown's on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, the only thing you really have to touch when you dine in is your food.
"We’ve changed out all the faucets and hand dryers in the bathrooms to be automatic," said Craig O'Keefe, the Director of Operations at the restaurant. "Contactless payment for your phone with QR codes which is really awesome for guests."
The restaurant is also implementing contactless menus where you basically open up your camera phone, scan a barcode, and a link pops up on your screen and takes you right to the menu without ever having to touch one.
"You don’t have to download any apps or anything like that which is really great," said O'Keefe.
O'Keefe added they are still waiting to receive an order of sanitizing stations before they open, but when they do, tables and chairs will also be cleaned with UV wands.
"That will be an additional layer after we clean the tables and chairs with our normal disinfectant," said O'Keefe.
Johnnie Brown's is hoping to open by Monday, May 18 at the latest.
