Some eateries stop accepting dine-in

Business boundary: A food kiosk operator has installed a ‘cage’ for physical distancing at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur. —ART CHEN/The Star Business boundary: A food kiosk operator has installed a ‘cage’ for physical distancing at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur. — ART CHEN/The Star

PETALING JAYA: As the spike in daily Covid-19 cases continues, some eateries have begun taking “pre-emptive measures”.

Checks found that several restaurants have decided to only allow takeaways in their premises after Covid-19 daily figures set all-time high records in the first week of 2021.

Good Food & Co announced that it would be closed to dine-in from Jan 8-22, despite recording zero Covid-19 cases at its premises.

“Our decision to temporarily close our cafe to dine-in customers was based on the staggering incline of Covid-19 cases around the district and the community.

“Please understand that this is for the well-being of our staff and customers, ” it posted on its Facebook page on Thursday.

It also announced that food would still be available on delivery platforms such as Grabfood, Foodpanda and Oddle Malaysia.

Other restaurants such as Tray Cafe also stopped dine-in from Jan 6-19.

“Our decision to temporary close dine-in is due to the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in and around Plaza Damas, Hartamas and Mont Kiara, ” it posted on Facebook.

Another restaurant taking pre-emptive measures to stem Covid-19 is local ice-cream chain Inside Scoop, which announced that it would stop the sampling of ice-cream by customers.

“As we line up for tasters over the counter, both our workers and customers have highlighted to us their discomfort as everyone removes their mask while trying out the flavours. All of us fear being a part of the statistics.

“Removing tasters again is a hard but necessary decision to keep everyone safe, ” it said on Facebook.

Meanwhile, other restaurants, such as Happy Place Restaurant & Bar in Sabah, closed their shutters to diners in order to carry out sanitation work after some customers tested positive for Covid-19.

“Following our recent announcement pertaining to Covid-19-positive cases at Happy Place, we underwent a thorough sanitation and deep cleaning of our restaurant. We will remain closed until further notice, ” it said in a statement on Jan 5.

On the other hand, myBurgerLab acknowledged the spike in Covid-19 cases but would still allow dine-in in order to keep the business afloat.

“Anything to keep the business running, we got to take the risk, ” it said in a statement on Facebook on Jan 6.

At the same time, myBurgerLab said it sanitised common areas and tables frequently, adding that it had air filters in its premises to minimise the risk of airborne infection.

It also urged customers to abide by SOP at all times.

For Sarah Lee, a 26-year-old teacher, every restaurant has the right to decide on whether to allow dine-in.

“It may be inconvenient for customers, but it’s better to err on the side of caution, ” she said.

Food lover Hannah Chong said restaurants that allowed dine-in in order to sustain their business must ensure customers adhere to SOP at all times.