TAKING CARE

Updated July 21

To our guests, team members and partners in the community,

As we have made our way through the last several months, we have seen incredible support from you, our partners, and our communities. Thank you with all our hearts. And thank you to our teams for their hard work, commitment and ongoing focus on practicing the stringent wellness and cleanliness protocols we’ve put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. It’s because our team has kept their focus that we have been able to act quickly, safely, and effectively when a team member has tested positive for COVID-19. We understand that due to the amount of community spread of COVID-19 in the communities we operate, we are likely to experience a situation in which one of our team members tests positive. Following CDC guidelines which includes such things as identifying high risk exposure individuals (within 6 feet for 15 continuous minutes), we may need to require team members to isolate themselves away from the restaurant and/or get tested. As a result, there may be times when it’s necessary for us to close or adjust our operating hours at a restaurant due to staff availability. In this case, we will keep our guests informed via our website at tacodeli.com/safety.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to keep our rigorous COVID-19 safety protocol updated as new information is published by the CDC or our local and state authorities. For our team members, that includes:

• Team Member Wellness – We have daily wellness checks in place before an employee leaves their home for the restaurant. We take every team member’s temperature every morning and throughout the day. Any team member who has a fever or fails their wellness checks is required to stay or return home. Team members also undergo a daily screening with strict instructions to stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms. Please know that in these circumstances, they will continue to be paid in line with our COVID-19 team member compensation policy and complying with federal and FFCRA guidelines.
• Expanded Sick Leave – We have expanded our sick leave policy to ensure anyone feeling sick can stay at home without concern of losing pay. Team members are required to stay home if they feel unwell.
• Contactless Service – Curbside pickup will remain open to serve customers for the foreseeable future to provide a safe method to order ahead and pick up your food in a contactless manner. Order curbside pickup by clicking the ORDER ONLINE button above.
• Restaurant Cleaning Standards – We have always and will continue to maintain a clean environment and employ safe food handling practices. We have increased the frequency with which we sanitize surfaces using cleaning products approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifically for COVID-19. We have recently deployed electrostatic sprayers to sanitize surfaces throughout the restaurant.
• Personal Protection – All team members and guests are required to wear face masks at all times unless they are eating. In addition, team members are required to wear disposable gloves, which are removed and replaced frequently. Stringent handwashing is required for team members as per local health code. We have hand sanitizer available for guests and employees.
• Physical Distancing – We separate guests by 6 feet while on our restaurant patios.
• Team Member Education – We continue to focus on training our teams so they are familiar and comfortable with the practices we have put in place.

As a guest, you can expect:

After a team member tests positive for COVID-19, that entire restaurant will undergo a comprehensive deep clean using products specifically approved by the EPA for COVID-19. We will continue to follow the guidelines provided by the CDC and local officials and will reopen once the space has been sanitized and we are able to staff the restaurant with team members that have either not been exposed or have all tested negative for COVID-19. We will also continue to implement the same strict cleaning and safety protocols that are in place across all our locations, including scheduled sanitization of surfaces with cleaning products specifically approved by the EPA for COVID-19, the use of gloves and masks by all our team members, temperature checks of all team members prior to commencing their shift, and contactless pick-up.

• We have contactless in-person ordering available at all locations. Orders may only be placed online or by calling in.
• Our Austin dining rooms remain closed at this. Our patio spaces are open with limited seating to ensure 6 ft physical distancing between groups, and some limited and distanced indoor dining is available where permitted. One group per table is allowed.
• Like our employees, we require all patio guests to wear masks while in our restaurant spaces.
• Locations that are open for dinner, will remain open until 8pm daily.

We love and appreciate being part of the communities in which we operate, and we will continue to place the well-being of our team members, our guests and our communities above all else. Thank you again for your continued loyalty and support. We will continue to update this page as we evaluate and evolve our approach.

Sincerely,

Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson, Co-CEOs