Patio Café plans to reopen fall semester after closing because of COVID-19

UHCL Dining Services is operated by Chartwells, including campus dining venues like the Hawk Energy Bar and Patio Café. Additionally, they also coordinate campus food truck visits. However, because of COVID-19, and no classes, very few staff and students have been on campus to use the services.

 “Consequently, Chartwells, the company that operates the Patio Café, requested and received approval from the university to close,” said Mark Denney, vice president for administration and finance. “This was only agreed upon after conversations with both the Student Advisory Group to the Café and those students still living in Hunter Residence Hall. Both parties approved the request to close.”

The Food Services Advisory Committee is responsible for providing feedback and recommendations to the Director of Campus Dining Services and to the Executive Director of Operations on the products and services offered by Chartwells, including the cafeteria, vending machines and catering services.

It is recommended that students join University Committees because of the actual change they can make. 

“I saw issues with the Patio Café and wanted to influence how it operated in the future so new students will not experience my inconveniences,” said Troy Rudd, Student Government Association (SGA) director of public relations and IT. 

The reopening of the Patio Café was said to take place following a decision to resume in-person instruction for the fall semester. As of July 23, UHCL plans to resume in-person instruction with bimodal courses scheduled for Fall 2020. 

“Their original reopening date was to be August 3, but due to Harris County’s return to condition Red, they requested to delay that opening until one week later, Aug 10,” Denney said. “Again, this request was reviewed by the Student Advisory Council and the Hunter Residence Hall staff before it was approved. This date will give the staff at the café one full week of training and operations before we begin receiving new residents for Hunter Residence Hall for Fall 2020.”

Daily operations updated

 All dining procedures, protocols and hours of operation are subject to change based on the current pandemic.

There is a comprehensive plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including the reinforcement of stringent health and hygiene standards. These include: 

• • Maintaining strict cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting protocols.
  • Continuous cleaning and sanitizing of tables, chairs, restrooms and high-touch surfaces.
  • Sanitizer stations are available at entrances, exits and associate production areas. 
  • Disinfecting the entire facility upon closing, back of house cleaning procedures every 30 minutes.
• Ensuring CDC guidelines for handwashing and hygiene etiquette
  • Associates washing hands and changing gloves every 30 minutes or less.
• Reinforcing Food Safety Management System/HACCP standards for food preparation and service
  • The culinary team will clean and sanitize surfaces and high touch areas.
  • ServSafe COVID-19 safety training for managers and food handlers.
  • Mask, hand wash and glove requirements.

It is recommended that all who visit the Patio Café follow precautionary measures outlined by the CDC like proper handwashing, avoid touching the face and staying home if ill. 

Before the temporary closure, the Patio Café was operating only the grill and deli at modified dining hours. All meals were served to go with no seating available.

To practice social distancing, the following protocols will be put in place: one-way traffic management, capacity thresholds for each dining location, reduction or elimination of cash handling and floor decals for guests to follow proper distancing and flow of service.

What to expect in the fall

To protect the community, self-service options will be served by a dining team member until further notice. The use of reusable cups and to-go containers is being temporarily discontinued. A preventive measure to protect guests is asking guests to use a new cup upon each fill-up. 

“Additional actions regarding opening the café include the availability of a mobile app allowing students and staff to order meals from the café online, pay for it online, and then only go quickly to the newly installed pick up window once their order is ready,” Denney said.

The app “Boost: Mobile Food Ordering” is available in the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.

Students were invited to suggest a name for the new campus coffee shop located in the Bayou Building near the Patio Café. Potential names include ‘The Perch Coffee and Tea,’ ‘The Perch Coffee House,’ ‘Hawk’s Nest Coffee’ and ‘Tea and Hawk’s Coffee House.’ The SGA will be discussing the name chosen by the students at their July 30 meeting.

“Operating procedures for the café are also being modified to facilitate easy movement while maintaining social distancing, having visitors come in through one of the main entrances and exit through the other, will encourage distancing and alleviate patron ‘bunching’ in the café,” Denney said.