Business Category: Health / Industrial Category: Hospitality

Restaurant, Bar, Brewery, Distillery and Casino Guidelines

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This comprehensive reopening checklist provides essential COVID-19 safety guidelines for restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries, and casinos. It outlines phased occupancy limits, physical distancing requirements for tables and gaming areas, critical service modifications including bar closures and elimination of self-service options, rigorous sanitation protocols for all customer-contact surfaces, and health and hygiene standards for staff and patrons. The checklist guides establishments safely through each reopening phase while ensuring full compliance with distancing and cleaning mandates.

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Restaurant, Bar, Brewery, Distillery and Casino Guidelines
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How to Use This Checklist

  • Record the inspection details: the date conducted, who prepared it, and the location being inspected.
  • Confirm the pre-opening conditions. Check that a comprehensive cleaning and sanitation plan has been formally developed, documented, and implemented, and that all staff are thoroughly trained on proper sanitation practices and procedures under applicable public health guidelines.
  • Work through the all-phases requirements that apply throughout reopening: cleaning and sanitizing customer-occupied surfaces between each customer party, handling non-essential table items, cleaning and disinfecting menus or using single-use disposable menus, cleaning and sanitizing growlers and refillable containers before refilling, and cleaning and disinfecting gaming machines between each customer use.
  • Apply the correct restaurant phase. In Phase One, confirm capacity is limited to no more than 50% of normal operating capacity, tables are restricted to a maximum of six individuals per party, and at least 6 feet of physical distancing between groups or tables is achieved through increased table spacing, removing or marking tables as closed, physical barriers between tables, or back-to-back booth seating.
  • In Phase One, also confirm that in-house dining for quick-service restaurants stays closed if all safety guidelines — including thorough cleaning of every table between customers — cannot be fully met.
  • Check the service modifications. Bar counters and service bars must prohibit sitting or standing, orders in bar establishments must be served directly to customers at their assigned tables, self-service buffet stations and food bars must be completely closed, self-serve drink refills must be discontinued in favour of staff-provided refills using a clean, new cup, self-service items such as cups, straws, and lids must be stored behind the counter and handed to customers by staff, and self-service condiment stations must be eliminated in favour of single-use packets or staff-dispensed condiments.
  • For gaming areas, verify that all operational gaming machines are spaced at least 6 feet apart and that non-compliant machines are placed out of service.
  • Move to Phase Two when applicable: confirm capacity has been increased to a maximum of 75% of normal operating capacity, tables are restricted to a maximum of ten individuals per party, appropriate physical distancing between groups and tables is still maintained, and in-house dining for quick-service restaurants remains closed if all safety guidelines cannot be fully met.
  • Move to Phase Three when applicable: confirm the establishment is resuming normal occupancy levels while continuing to adhere to all facility safety guidelines and best practices, and that social distancing measures continue to be practised whenever practical and feasible.
  • Close out the record. Capture the signature, the finished time, and the inspection's real start and end dates.

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What this checklist covers

This checklist supports the reopening of restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries, and casinos under COVID-19 safety guidelines. It is organised into an inspection section, an all-phases section that applies throughout, and three restaurant phases — Phase One, Phase Two, and Phase Three. Across 30 items it covers occupancy limits, physical distancing between tables and gaming machines, service modifications, cleaning and disinfection of customer-contact surfaces, hygiene requirements, and the signatures and dates that document the inspection.

Why it matters

Reopening safely depends on being able to show that distancing, cleaning, and service changes are actually in place. The checklist ties these requirements to specific phases so that capacity and table limits match the standards that apply at the time, and so that high-contact surfaces, menus, refillable containers, and gaming machines are handled consistently. Where a requirement cannot be met, the checklist gives a clear course of action — for example, keeping in-house dining for quick-service restaurants closed if thorough cleaning of every table between customers cannot be fully carried out, or placing non-compliant gaming machines out of service.

Capacity and table limits

Occupancy and party size change by phase, and you confirm the correct limits as you move through reopening: - **Phase One:** facility capacity limited to no more than 50% of normal operating capacity; tables restricted to a maximum of six (6) individuals per party. - **Phase Two:** facility capacity increased to a maximum of 75% of normal operating capacity; tables restricted to a maximum of ten (10) individuals per party. - **Phase Three:** the establishment resumes normal occupancy levels while continuing to adhere to all facility safety guidelines and best practices. At every phase, appropriate physical distancing between groups and tables must still be maintained.

Physical distancing

The checklist requires at least 6 feet of physical distancing between groups or tables. It accepts several ways of achieving that separation: increasing table spacing, removing or marking tables as closed, installing physical barriers between tables, or using back-to-back booth seating for adequate separation. Gaming areas follow the same principle: all operational gaming machines must be spaced at least 6 feet apart, and any machine that does not meet that spacing must be placed out of service.

Service modifications

Reopening changes how customers are served. You confirm that: - Sitting or standing at bar counters and service bars is strictly prohibited, and all food and beverage orders in bar establishments are served directly to customers at their assigned tables rather than at the bar counter. - All self-service buffet stations and food bars are completely closed. - Self-serve drink refills are discontinued, with all refills provided only by staff using a clean, new cup. - Self-service items such as cups, straws, and lids are stored behind the counter and handed directly to customers by staff. - Self-service condiment stations are eliminated, with condiments provided in single-use packets or dispensed by staff upon request.

Cleaning and disinfection

Cleaning requirements apply to everything customers touch: - Customer-occupied surfaces — tables, chairs, booths, and highchairs — are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between each customer party. - Non-essential table items (condiments, menus, napkins, and décor) are removed from tables or adequately sanitized between each customer party. - Menus are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each customer use, or single-use disposable menus are provided as an alternative. - Growlers and refillable or reusable containers are properly cleaned and sanitized prior to being refilled. - Gaming machines are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each customer use. These measures rest on a comprehensive cleaning and sanitation plan that is formally developed, documented, and implemented, with all staff members thoroughly trained on proper sanitation practices and procedures per applicable public health guidelines.

Phase progression

You move through the phases as the establishment's conditions allow. Phase One applies the 50% capacity limit, the six-person table maximum, and the closure of in-house dining for quick-service restaurants where all safety guidelines cannot be fully met. Phase Two raises capacity to 75% and allows up to ten individuals per party, while continuing physical distancing and the same condition on quick-service in-house dining. Phase Three returns the establishment to normal occupancy levels while continuing to adhere to all facility safety guidelines and best practices, and to practise social distancing measures whenever practical and feasible.

Recording the inspection

The checklist opens with the basics — conducted on, prepared by, and location — and closes with a signature, the finished time, and the inspection's real start and end dates. Health and hygiene standards for staff and patrons are part of the requirements you check, alongside the actions above. Once every item has been answered, the completed record shows what was verified at each phase of reopening.

Frequently Asked Questions

This checklist is for restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries, and casinos that are reopening and must operate under COVID-19 safety guidelines. It works through the reopening phases that apply to these establishments. It covers restrictions on occupancy, tables, bar counters and gaming floors, modifications to how food and drink are served, cleaning and disinfection of customer-contact surfaces, hygiene for staff and patrons, and the record-keeping fields that document an inspection.

The checklist sets out three restaurant phases. Phase One limits capacity to no more than 50% of normal operating capacity and restricts tables to a maximum of six people per party. Phase Two raises capacity to a maximum of 75% of normal operating capacity and restricts tables to a maximum of ten people per party. Phase Three resumes normal occupancy levels while continuing to follow facility safety guidelines and best practices. Physical distancing between groups and tables must be maintained throughout.

You must keep at least 6 feet of physical distancing between groups or tables. The checklist accepts several ways of achieving this: increasing table spacing, removing or marking tables as closed, installing physical barriers between tables, or using back-to-back booth seating. Gaming machines must also be spaced at least 6 feet apart, and any machine that does not meet that spacing must be placed out of service.

Yes, in the restaurant phases bar counters are treated as off limits. Sitting or standing at bar counters and service bars is strictly prohibited, and all food and beverage orders in bar establishments must be served directly to customers at their assigned tables rather than at the bar counter.

The checklist requires self-service to be largely removed. Self-service buffet stations and food bars must be completely closed. Self-serve drink refills are discontinued, with refills provided only by staff using a clean, new cup. Self-service items such as cups, straws, and lids must be stored behind the counter and handed to customers by staff. Self-service condiment stations are eliminated, with condiments provided in single-use packets or dispensed by staff on request.

Customer-occupied surfaces — tables, chairs, booths, and highchairs — must be cleaned and sanitized between every customer party. Non-essential table items such as condiments, menus, napkins, and décor must either be removed from tables or adequately sanitized between each customer party. Menus must be cleaned and disinfected between each customer use, or single-use disposable menus provided instead. Growlers and refillable or reusable containers must be cleaned and sanitized before being refilled. Gaming machines must be cleaned and disinfected between each customer use.

For quick-service restaurants, in-house dining must stay closed if all safety guidelines cannot be fully met, including thorough cleaning of every table between customers. The same condition appears in more than one phase, so the requirement applies both at 50% capacity and at 75% capacity.

Before reopening, a comprehensive cleaning and sanitation plan must be formally developed, documented, and implemented, and all staff members must be thoroughly trained on proper sanitation practices and procedures according to applicable public health guidelines.
Arne Reis
Written by
Arne Reis
Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

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