Coronavirus News

New COVID-19 program gets Texas restaurants up to speed on proper protocols

The program is designed to reassure customers that restaurants are doing things right.

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The Texas Restaurant Association has launched a program designed to help restaurants wade through necessary protocols during these coronavirus times.

The state-wide organization cites a survey stating that 77 percent of consumers say they plan to reduce visits to restaurants in the future. To stoke consumer confidence, TRA, along with Dallas College and an organization called A Closer Look, have launched a program, paid for via a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission, that will train, evaluate, and certify restaurants on the additional protocols that must be followed per Texas' minimum standard health protocols.

Restaurants that have earned certification will get a decal they can put on their doors, as a reassuring signal to the diner.

The program consists of five courses focused on key roles within a restaurant:

managers
takeout/delivery line staff
servers
kitchen staff
cleaning crew

A minimum of five employees must complete the program, and restaurants will undergo third-party evaluation by A Closer Look, mystery shopping and customer experience company. A member of A Closer Look’s team will visit multiple times, providing feedback on training and improvement.

The initial grant from TWC will provide funding for 500 restaurants to be evaluated and certified with 2,500 of their employees receiving training. TRA and Dallas College plan to continue expanding grant funding from the Texas Workforce Commission to ensure all restaurants and employees can participate.

The first class will start on June 25. More information can be found online.

Dr. Emily Williams Knight, TRA President and CEO, calls it a big win for the industry, stating, "This comprehensive program allows restaurant owners and their staff to demonstrate to the public that they have done everything possible to safely receive guests in their dining rooms."

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Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

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