TULSA, Okla. — As restaurants continue to reopen their dining rooms across Green Country some, are getting more creative to coax customers out.
The owner of the Andolini’s Pizzeria locations, Mike Bausch, has gotten a bit crafty to make customers feel more safe.
“It's our duty to make people as safe in a hospitable way," Bausch said. "I feel like with these small changes, we’re doing that."
All of the locations have new virtual menus, a full staff wearing masks, and a more physical take on the term social barrier.
The pandemic has completely changed how Bausch has been doing business at his Andolini's locations since 2005.
"We did a complete'180 of our business model in the course of days when a business model would normally be in the course of a months," Bausch said.
He made that quick change because of how quickly and hard he and his employees were hit.
"On the onset of COVID-19 when we had the dine-in option taken down on St. Patrick's Day, that was an immediate 60% hit to business," Bausch said.
After multiple days of drastically low numbers, Bausch said he was forced him to furlough employees, but he was determined that wouldn't last long.
“It was a mandate that we got everyone who wants and feels safe working to get safely back as fast as possible," Bausch said.
So, he did the only thing he knew and got creative.
“As entrepreneurs we find another way," Bausch said. "And he beauty of being an entrepreneur is there’s no one telling you 'no.'"
For Baush, that meant making three square foot barriers to slide between the tables in the main dining room locations.
“We just created a prototype out of foam core that’s six feet wide and six feet deep," Bausch said. "When we spoke with the health department, they said we were good to go. So, we've been running since then."
All the locations also have new menu's.
"We have QR codes where you can just snap with your phone and immediately get right to the menu," Bausch said.
With these changes, Bausch been able to welcome back all of his employee, but still they are all taking it one day at a time.
“I’m just going though the next day in the smartest wisest way possible in a hope that we get to the end safely," Bausch said. “As long as you keep trying and keep seeking to figure it out, eventually it's going to get figured out and that goes for this COVID-19 nightmare."
To see their menu and locations, click here.
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