Restaurants employ professional cleaners as precaution to keep workers, diners safe

Two kitchen workers, cousins who live together, tested positive for coronavirus in May.

The restaurant wasn’t required to close, but Brigs President David Brigham says he wants to be extra careful for his employees and customers.

"We did close. We did throw away hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of food that even someone wearing a mask had prepared, even though there’s no evidence of food ever passing this virus along. We just didn’t want anybody to be worried about anything," said Brigham.

They also cleaned every surface with bleach.

It’s a situation many restaurants are now dealing with. Even restaurants that do not have employees who test positive are hiring professional cleaning companies to disinfect surfaces.

"We thought people would be very nervous, anxious seeing us come in with gloves and masks. But once the pandemic hit, tables turned and they really like to see us come in," said Clay Whitehurst, owner of Enviro-Master Raleigh.

The company gets about 20 to 30 calls a week to clean everything from nursing homes to restaurants.

‘We use a hospital-grade germicidal disinfectant that kills all kinds of different viruses." Whitehurst said.

It’s a change to the normal routine for those who run restaurants and are trying to be safe while also providing a place for good food.

"I would want people taking the extra precautions if I am eating at their restaurants and not just saying this is the least I have to do, and I wanted our customers to feel the same way," Brigham said.