Free Meals for Healthcare Workers and First Responders
Free Meals for Healthcare Workers and First Responders
Restaurant dining rooms are about to re-open in many states as America eases business restrictions to prepare for life after coronavirus. Savvy restaurant brands are re-opening with a bang guaranteed to get free press to mark their opening day. One of the more popular re-opening strategies is to offer free meals for healthcare workers. McDonald’s launched their efforts to offer one free meal a day to healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics. This nationwide program runs from April 22nd to May 5th through their drive-thru windows and front counters only.
Taco Bell’s program includes giving free Doritos Locos Tacos through their drive-thru windows. They also created a special truck-thru at their Irvine headquarters designed to accommodate large service vehicles that usually cannot fit into restaurant drive-thru windows. These essential truck drivers deliver important goods throughout the country, yet they are unable to buy food through conventional drive-thru windows while dining rooms are closed.
Other restaurant brands are offering free meals to school-age children, delivering meals to hospitals and partnering with local food banks to donate food to the countless unemployed residents in their communities. The promotion is limited to a select number of menu items to limit the cost associated with the program. While McDonald’s is promoting this campaign with paid ads, the goal is to ultimately get as much free press as possible to coincide with the re-opening of your restaurant.
Each restaurant owner must adhere to local re-opening requirements which include increased safety measures designed to keep employees and customers safe in this post-pandemic environment. Some state-mandated measures include daily temperature checks for employees, safety shields at cash registers and face masks for all employees.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued best practices for employers that addresses cleaning, sanitizing, employee health and personal protective equipment. Managing employee health includes prescreening with temperature checks before starting work, providing face masks and gloves for all employees, sending sick employees home immediately and disinfecting their workspaces. Employees working within six feet of the sick employee should also be considered exposed. Employees should also be encouraged to report if they are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 and stay home until they have been tested. Restaurants are also encouraged to provide disposable menus and maintain a more frequent cleaning schedule for high touch surfaces.
Whether dining rooms re-open with a bang or a rolling soft opening, it is important for restaurant owners to get as much press as possible to announce to the community that operations has resumed at your location. Free meals for healthcare workers and first responders are a positive way to give back to a community of heroes who have worked tirelessly on the front lines of the pandemic.