Mid adult man scanning QR code of contactless menu through smartphone in coffee shop
MIAMI (Sept. 11, 2020) – The City of Miami, Miami’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU) are encouraging local restaurant owners to sign up for a new one-hour health and safety course. Created by culinary educators and professionals, the course focuses on reducing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 through health and safety training and is free and open to all restaurant owners and operators.
The COVID-19 Restaurant Safety and Compliance Course offers a one-hour lecture and quiz based on safety protocols and guidelines from the Miami-Dade County Health Department. It will include instruction on best cleaning practices, indoor and outdoor dining, table set-up, payment, cleaning checklists and documentation, guest compliance, and employee communication. The course was created by professors John Noble Masi and Nico Rose of the Chaplin School, with support and resources from FIU Online and in partnership with the City of Miami and the Miami DDA.
Restaurant owners will have the opportunity to sign up for one of three live sessions offered virtually on:
- Tuesday, Sept. 15 from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
“Restaurant cleanliness has always been important, but now it’s essential in the fight against this pandemic,” said John Noble Masi, advanced food production and culinary arts professor at the Chaplin School. “That’s why we wanted to create a course with a set of streamlined safety guidelines that all restaurant owners and operators could follow.”
After the one-hour live presentation, participants will be prompted to take a quiz and if they pass, they will receive a certificate of course completion to display in their establishments, along with a window or door cling sticker to share the designation with customers. For restaurant owners and operators who cannot make the live sessions, recordings of the sessions will be made available in English, Spanish and Creole.
Since March, millions of businesses throughout the country faced mandatory closures or social distancing measures due to COVID-19. To re-open, restaurants had to follow new safety protocols, which vary across city, county, and state lines. After a number of closures and re-openings, restaurants in Miami and Miami-Dade County were allowed to open for indoor dining at 50 percent capacity on Aug. 31, but with strict health and safety guidelines.
“In regard to reopening our economy, the only thing more important than opening our businesses and restaurants is our residents trusting that it’s safe to be at our businesses and restaurants,” said Francis X. Suarez, City of Miami mayor. “I applaud FIU and the DDA for developing such an effective way for business owners to announce to all Miamians, ‘We’re open for business and we’re here to keep you safe.’”
“Downtown Miami’s restaurant community plays an integral role in the city’s appeal as one of the world’s most desirable places to live, work, and visit,” said Christina Crespi, executive director of the Miami DDA. “Faced with adverse circumstances amid the pandemic, the Miami DDA worked with the City of Miami and FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management to develop the complimentary COVID-19 Restaurant Safety Training Course to educate our restaurateurs and ensure the safety of those dining out in our city.”
For more information or to register for the course, please visit: https://hospitality.fiu.edu/safety. For the latest coronavirus re-opening updates with the city, please visit the City of Miami COVID-19 Updates & Re-opening website.
