One of Lancaster County’s most iconic restaurants, the Shady Maple Smorgasbord, All You Can Eat, has announced plans to reopen Thursday, July 9.
The restaurant, which specializes in Dutch Pennsylvania foods, from chicken pie to whoopie cakes and claims to serve 1.5 million people each year, says on its Facebook page that when it opens, it will feature a buffet “no Contact”.
The restaurant in East Earl Township said it will also continue to provide Meals To Go to allow it to “continue to serve our high-risk guests and those who may not be ready for the contactless buffet experience.” To get ready, the restaurant says it will close its current Meals To Go program starting July 4, to prepare for a “new and improved launch” at 11 am Thursday.
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“To fulfill the recent mandate, we will ask all guests to wear a mask during their visit, unless they are sitting at your table,” the smorgasbord’s Facebook page said. “We will provide all necessary precautions to take you through the buffet, keeping you and our team as safe as possible.”
Among other changes, the restaurant’s website said it will operate at 50 percent of capacity. Ask guests to keep a distance of six feet and they will post signs and guides throughout the building as reminders. He has also installed Plexiglass guards between the customer service and registered counter, and plans to sanitize the dining tables before each party sits down.
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The “contactless” buffet will require guests’ hands to be gloved (gloves and hand sanitizer will be provided) when obtaining food, and serving utensils will be changed every 30 minutes, according to the website. Additional staff have been added to clean high traffic areas every 30 minutes, and do a thorough clean after closing each day.
Employees will be required to wear masks during their shift and maintain social distance in the employees’ break room, the website says. Hand washing breaks are scheduled every 30 minutes.
“We look forward to seeing you and serving you with the same Shady Maple excellence as before but in a slightly different way,” says the ad on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
