As restaurants evaluate and prepare for phased opening this week, one local restaurant is unique in the factors it needs to consider. In addition to the restaurant, The Club Tavern & Grill also operates a casino as well as serves hotel guests of the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn. The property also has a gas station on-site. Each with a different set of standards and health guidelines, the staff has been working hard these past few weeks to train and ensure they are knowledgeable on all of the proper pre-cautions while at the same time, delivering quality customer service and dining.
‘While we are thrilled to be re-opening, the staff is eager to get back to work, we know things won’t immediately go back to the way they were. Guests will may be wary of getting too close to strangers and as the restaurant manager, it’s important to make sure everyone feels comfortable coming into our restaurant and casino. This includes maintaining a strict cleaning regime, but also keeping some social distancing protocols in place’ says Arkinda Mickelson, Food & Restaurant Manager.
In addition to preparing for the ‘new normal’, The Club Tavern & Grill has made the most out of takeout services, maintained communications with guests and also used the time to renovate parts of the restaurant, the kitchen and re-paving the parking lot.
These were projects we have been wanting to get done so in a way, it’s been a good time to do those heavier construction projects so that as we open in phases, the restaurant and property look sharp’, says Mickelson.
With new hours, bringing back their full menu, kitchen and property renovations completed, the staff is excited to be back to work. The restaurant also plans to use outdoor seating on their patio which is also pet-friendly. Creative measures have also been taken to make room for tables spaced six feet a part by moving the casino to another part of the hotel which allows room for diners.
‘We’ve missed our customers and with the warmer weather and patio-seating, we’re excited to be able to be able to start moving forward. The support from locals in Bozeman has been tremendous. You know you live in a good community but you really feel it when you go through something so unexpected,’ adds Mickelson.
Restaurants across the Bozeman area are grateful for all of the support and look forward to cautiously re-opening in a phased approach.