Questions: Has Etta River North or Etta Bucktown Had Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Among Staff?

Questions:
Has etta River North or etta Bucktown had confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff?
We have been navigating this COVID situation for five months, the same as the rest of the
restaurant industry. We have had a few cases of COVID amongst our teams, and we are taking
all precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and guests. None of our employees with known
positive cases of COVID have been in our restaurants, period. When we have been notified of
a positive case we have immediately communicated to the team on site and isolated the staff
member to quarantine for 14 days. We are completely open and transparent about this process
with our staff.
We have gone above and beyond all CDC guidelines and have implemented a vigorous
cleaning and testing process in all of our restaurants.
Speaking of guidelines and protocols - we want you to hear ours and what we are doing to
ensure the future of our business and the safety of our employees and guests. This virus isn’t
going away anytime soon, that is a reality. As an industry we need to design sustainable
systems and protocols to manage and run a restaurant during a pandemic.
Our goal is to take care of our employees and guests and drive this business forward while
keeping everyone as safe as humanly possible. From testing to cleaning, here are some very
specific and important steps we are taking:
● Every employee of What If Syndicate (over 507 in Chicago) has been tested to date -
and will be tested every two weeks on the same day in a private facility organized by us
and a medical partner. Results will be managed and actions will be taken accordingly.
No one with a positive result will be allowed to work in any of our restaurants for 14 days
or until they show a negative test result.
● Each location has a 30-day antimicrobial coating/cleaning process that covers all dining
areas, bar areas, outdoor patios, bathrooms, furniture, stairwells, and entry ways
● Every day, in every location, our staff are following all the CDC guidelines (and beyond)
for social distancing, masks, hand sanitizer, and surface cleaning. We take this very
seriously and have ongoing discussions and trainings with our staff
How many cases, and when?
We are not disclosing this information. We are in touch with all our teams and we've been
nothing but transparent in our communication with them.
Why did the restaurant(s) not close immediately upon learning of the positive cases?
To be clear, we aren't profitable. We stay open so that we may use the dollars to pay for
healthcare and food and supplies for our staff (over 500+), many of whom don’t get checks from
the government. At this location we have over 110 staff members.
Lastly, if anyone does not feel comfortable working or dining, they are not forced to come in.
Does etta provide health insurance for its employees? If the answer is yes, did the
company maintain insurance throughout the shutdown/into reopening?
Yes, we provide healthcare for our employees, and yes, we maintained and paid healthcare
throughout the shutdown.
Additionally, this post alleges the GMs in both River North and in Bucktown told
employees they "don't care about safety distancing" and if reported, they'll "just pay the
fines and stay open no matter what."
The post you allude to is not true and misinformed. If you visit any of our restaurants, you will
see that we are quite strict about social distancing and maintain all the CDC guidelines to create
a safe dining environment for all.
What are etta's social distancing policies and practices at its Bucktown and River North
locations?
We have a vigorous safety and testing protocol for all of our restaurants. From spacing out
tables every 6 ft to installing glass barriers between booths, we take temperatures of all our staff
and guests upon arrival, we have personal hand sanitizers at every table and all staff must wear
masks at all times. Guests are asked to wear masks when they get up from the table and are
walking through common areas of the restaurant. We are going above and beyond to teach our
staff how to stay safe and keep an environment that is safe and comfortable for our guests. We
also have a mandated testing protocol for every single employee across our company to ensure
we know where they stand and we can work to keep on top of everyone's health.
Has the restaurant(s) been fined for violations at any point during the reopening? If so,
how many times, and when?
We have been inspected many times and have never been fined.

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