our response to covid-19
Firstly, the welbeing of our team and our guests has always been of the upmost importance since we first opened the doors to our little restaurant.
So, in these new times we all find ourselves in, we have been working extremely hard on how we adapt our dining room and our way of working in response to COVID-19, but we want to do it in a way that still has hospitality at its heart.
We hope, the experience of coming into Townsend won’t have changed significantly for the guests who (quickly) got in for a meal before we had to close. The food will still be seasonal, ingredient-led and comforting and we hope the service will still be charming, informal and put a smile on your face. However, there will be some changes to how we operate and engage with you - some of which may be discernible, but hopefully many will not.
Here are some of the measures we are taking to ensure Townsend is safe for all:
Our team have reviewed and added to our cleaning checklists and protocols both front of house and in the kitchen. Special focus has been placed on cleaning and sanitising multiple possible touchpoints before, during and after service to make sure that anything that may have been handled by guests is sanitised regularly.
We have reduced the number of tables in the dining room and ensured they are all a safe distance away from each other.
We have increased the turn time between tables to ensure that we have enough time to clean and sanitise all tables, chairs and banquettes before the next guests arrive.
For now, the maximum size table that can be reserved is a party of six.
To assist with Test, Track and Trace, we will be asking for the contact details of all guests through our booking platform Resy. These details will be kept for 21 days.
Walk-ins will always be warmly welcomed through our doors, but we will need to book you in through Resy, in order to comply with Test, Track & Trace, so we may just ask you to wait at the entrance while we take these details and also to help control the flow of guests coming in and out of the space.
We would encourage card payments, our card machines will be sanitised before and after each use. We will accept cash but don’t be offended if we santise before and after touching it!
We will be using recycled single-use paper menus which are kept on your table throughout your meal. Once you have finished with them, they will be recycled again and turned back into more menu paper!
We will have hand sanitiser available on each table once you arrive and throughout your meal.
All of our team will wear face masks at all times while we are open.
All of our team have discussed the importance of keeping a safe distance from each other wherever possible and working patterns and start times have been adjusted to avoid congestion in communal areas.
This time has impacted everyone in different ways and we are conscious that people will have different feelings and concerns about returning to restaurants. We have tried to make changes that will work for all but we appreciate that we might need to amend and adapt our solutions, so any feedback or concerns you have we are very open to hearing them and trying to make Townsend a hospitable, warm and safe environment.