Alabama Health Department Allows Buffets To Reopen

The Birmingham News reports:

On Page 11 of the state’s revised “Safer at Home” Health Order that was issued on Tuesday is a tiny nugget that will make buffet fans – but especially, their owners — rejoice: Effective 5 p.m. Monday, all buffets, salad bars and self-serve drink stations are OK to reopen as long as there is an employee present whose duties include ensuring that six-feet of separation exists among customers.

That employee will also be charged with providing hand sanitizer and will encourage patrons to apply it before using the buffet, salad bar or self-serve drink station. But after months of reorganizing their restaurants away from the buffet, there is no indication that some will immediately flip back to the buffets. Some buffet operators, when contacted, were unaware of the order.

The buffets are back. Or are they? Shut down during the #coronavirus pandemic, many buffets were transformed into cafeterias. The state’s revised Health Order allows for them to return, with restrictions. Some buffet owners aren’t going back in time. https://t.co/GXmtxfpSfJ

— John Sharp (@JohnSharp99) September 1, 2020