Organ Stop Pizza, a historic Valley restaurant will be re-opening its doors Thursday, May 14 at 5:00 p.m. with music from the world-famous Mighty Wurlitzer beginning at 5:30. In an effort to keep employees and customers safe, the owners of Organ Stop Pizza have developed a 19-page proactive opening plan that includes many safety precautions including practicing physical distancing and enhanced disinfecting procedures.
“We have been planning this re-opening since the day after we closed back in March,” said Jack Barz, Organ Stop Pizza co-owner. “The safety of our staff and guests is our highest priority and because of that, we are reducing our seating capacity from 700 customers nightly to a little over 200 for now and into the foreseeable future. Reducing the number of people in our restaurant is the right thing to do at this time to make sure our patrons feel safe and comfortable.”
In addition to reducing the number of customers in the restaurant each night, Organ Stop Pizza has also made significant revisions to the way it does business, including:
All employees will wear masks and gloves.
· All employees will participate in temperature checks before entering the building.
· Customers will check-in outside for the building for seating. If there is a wait for seats, customers will be asked to wait in their cars and will receive a text message from the restaurant when tables are available.
· All customers will be given hand sanitizer upon entrance to the restaurant.
· Once seated, guests will be given plates, forks, napkins and a paper menu.
· Only one person from each party will place food and drink orders at the counters, which have been equipped with new, clear acrylic shields.
· When ordering, tape has been placed along the ground to maintain a six-foot physical distance between customers.
· Restrooms will be sanitized every 15 minutes and all public areas will be sanitized throughout the night.
While COVID-19 has taken its toll on many independent Valley restaurant owners, Organ Stop Pizza has continued paying its employees while the restaurant was closed. The owners also donated a literal ton of food to the United Food Bank when they had to close unexpectedly.
“Organ Stop Pizza is a Valley institution and the range of emotions our guests experience when they hear the Mighty Wurlitzer are infinite,” added Barz. “In our opinion, right now when the world feels a little unpredictable, we had no choice but to carry on our nearly 50-year tradition of providing joy and some escapism to our guests night after night.”
www.organstoppizza.com