Dear Parents and Guardians,
As classes began on campus Fall of 2020 at Macalester College, Bon Appétit Management Company implemented rigorous sanitation and service measures to ensure students can dine with us safely and comfortably.
These new measures have been developed based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), health and sanitation experts from our company’s Coronavirus Response Team, and local health regulations:
- COVID-19-specific training for all staff designed by sanitation experts and updated regularly as new issues emerge. Topics covered include proper disinfection, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing protocols, and more, and are integrated with food safety and sanitation protocols. Team members wear “I’m Trained” buttons to let students know they are up to date on all safety measures.
- Pre-shift wellness screenings for employees in alignment with local regulations, which include no-contact temperature scans and daily interview questions.
- Decision tree and step-by-step action plan for unit managers who have employees who are sick or who may have had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. (Bon Appétit offers paid sick leave to all employees.)
- Employees will wear masks and gloves at all times.
- Amped-up cleaning and sanitation schedules with clearly detailed procedures that meet or exceed all local guidelines and national best practices. This includes frequent disinfection of high-touch surfaces.
- No-touch sanitation stations at entrances.
- Clear physical distancing and wayfinding signage so students feel comfortable moving around in the café.
- Protective infrastructure such as plexiglass barriers at cashier stations and in front of café stations.
- Shifting from self-service to full-service concepts. Breakfast, salad, and deli bars are being replaced with made-to-order options and/or freshly made, prepackaged meals.
- Tables moved to create more distance in dining areas, including clear markers for physically distanced seating.
The health and well-being of your student is our top priority. Our corporate safety team is continuously monitoring CDC recommendations, updating our guidance as needed, and regularly communicating with our on-site team.
We would like to add that while safety is a key priority, it is not our only one. We still believe that food has an important role to play in building culture and community. Our chefs will still be cooking from scratch, using fresh local and seasonal ingredients that meet our sustainability standards. (We are pleased to mention that in March the Humane Society of the United States ranked us the #1 food service company, the only one with an A+ grade, thanks to our early commitments to cage-free eggs and gestation-crate-free pork.) We are offering free online wellness resources to support students’ health and well-being. In addition, your student will continue to find abundant plant-forward, vegetarian, and vegan options as well as ones that are made without gluten-containing ingredients every day. We are happy to work with any students with food allergies or other dietary restrictions to make sure everyone can enjoy plenty of delicious food, safely, with us.
As always, we welcome any questions or feedback from concerned parents.
Sincerely,
Amy Jackson
General Manager