The new norm in every restaurant, this is probably the best way to keep everyone safe while enjoying our favorite food. As parts of the country steadily ease restrictions on community quarantines, the restaurant industry is also preparing to resume dine-in services which have been placed on hold because of the extended lockdown.

People have been longing to enjoy a meal at their favorite dining places, but many still feel apprehensive and cautious.

Each customer undergoes a mandatory temperature check and passes through a foot bath disinfection mat as they enter the store.

One well-loved Pinoy restaurant that has been preparing to welcome back its loyal customers is Mang Inasal, reputed for its bestselling nuot-sa-ihaw sarap Chicken Inasal. Knowing how much people have missed their favorite Mang Inasal meals and seeking to allay their fears, Mang Inasal has set in place strict protocols to ensure delicious food and safe dining experience for their customers.

Floor markings are placed to guide customers on proper physical distancing.

Anyone who wants to enter the store must wear a face mask. The customer’s temperature will be checked and only those with temperature of 37.5-degree Centigrade and below will be allowed to enter. A footbath disinfection mat is also placed at the entrance. Only a limited number of customers are allowed inside the store at any given time. Sanitizers are provided for customers at the door entrance, counter table, and wash area for their use.

In keeping with the Department of Trade and Industry guidelines, Mang Inasal is requesting customers to fill out a Customer Health Form before being allowed to enter the store.

Counter barriers keep both store crew and customers safe.

For in-store safety, physical distancing is closely monitored as floor markers set one-meter distance for counter queues. Contact-less payment is enforced with the use of acrylic cash tray and acrylic barriers. Meanwhile, foot knobs are used as restroom doors, and regular disinfection of facilities and the sanitation of workers form part of Mang Inasal’s stringent safety protocols.

Dine-in customers are enjoined to be seated apart for physical distancing purposes. One-meter table-to-table distance segregates diners while in selected Mang Inasal stores a table barrier is placed for face-to-face dining.

Mang Inasal encourages electronic, cashless transactions

For customers opting to do cash payments, trays are provided for contact-less transactions.

Store crew sanitize the door and door handles every 30 minutes even as they pursue intensified cleaning and sanitation of fixtures and facilities. Similarly, heightened safety protocols for food preparation and handling—on top of existing procedures that are already thorough—are also being implemented. These include the crew wearing face mask, face shield, and gloves; handwashing and sanitation every hour and when necessary; and the appointment of a Hygiene Ambassador – a crew member wearing an identifying button pin and personal protective equipment and who go around reminding crew and diners of the safety measures. The Hygiene Ambassador himself cleans and disinfects the tables after every use.

To further ensure customer safety, wrapped rice is served for unli-rice orders. Meanwhile, selected Mang Inasal stores have placed barriers on the table for face-to-face dining.

Even the serving of unli-rice has been modified for safety purposes. Those who place unli-rice orders will be automatically served two cups of rice. Should they ask for more rice, the crew in charge will provide extra wrapped rice. Meanwhile pre-portioned condiments are served together with the ordered meal.

All these show that Mang Inasal not only serves good food enjoyed by many, but it also has the safety and well-being of its stakeholders as a priority.

A designated Mang Inasal Hygiene Ambassador reminds the store team to wash their hands every hour and sanitize every 30 minutes. He also conducts the cleaning and disinfection of the dining tables after every use

“We know how much everyone has missed dining at Mang Inasal,” says Business Unit Head Jojo P. Subido. “As we work towards the gradual return of in-store dining, we make sure to put our stakeholders at ease by placing their welfare as our top priority. In instituting all these precautions, we kept in mind our customers’ needs and concerns so that they can enjoy the Mang Inasal experience once again—safely and comfortably. We look forward to welcoming you back to our stores.”

As of this writing, over 80 percent of Mang Inasal stores around the country are open for dine-in.

All open public surfaces within the Mang Inasal store are cleaned and disinfected by a designated Hygiene Ambassador.

Meanwhile, customers from Metro Manila can continue enjoying Mang Inasal meals by placing their orders through #7-3333 or via GrabFood, Foodpanda, and LalaFood. They can also place their orders through Jose, the Mang Inasal Chatbot in Facebook Messenger.

They can likewise go to selected Mang Inasal stores for takeout or for Park, Pickup and Go arrangements.