SOLON, Ohio — They’re making sure everyone who steps foot into Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern in Solon, and all its locations, are safe.
"We fully anticipated some people have an apprehension about going inside when it got colder,” said Jim Sauter, Rusty Bucket’s Vice President.
Sauter says they just took a big step and installed air filtration systems.
You can’t see it or hear it, but the system that’s hooked up to the HVAC is supposed to knock out more than 99 percent of airborne pathogens, including viruses like COVID-19.
"It’s a pretty sound investment considering the situation that we’re in right now, but it will also make our restaurants healthier and safer for the future as well,” said Sauter.
And of course, that’s not all this restaurant is doing. It’s spaced out tables, put up plexiglass, added sanitizing stations all over and of course, taking many takeout orders.
"We used to dabble in curbside carry out, now we’ve kind of made that the way we do business,” said the V.P.
The Rusty Bucket restaurants aren't the only ones using the air filtration system; the folks at Parallax have had them installed since they reopened, and they say it's been a great investment.
"I wanted, number one, the public to feel safe and to be safe, and number two my staff to be safe,” said Zack Bruell, chef and owner of Parallax and a few other well-known Cleveland-area restaurants.
Bruell says since day one, he hasn’t messed around with safety and he’s not going to start now.
"No one can walk into the restaurant without a mask on, no one,” said Bruell.
Both restaurants are taking these precautions even as more shut down orders could be coming.
Governor DeWine announced Wednesday that if the COVID surge continues, he will be shutting down restaurants again.
"We’re in the middle of a spike and this has been going on for a while. He did the right thing and he’s trying to lead and there hasn’t been many leaders in the middle of all this,” said Bruell.
"We’re obviously in business to serve guests, and that’s how we make a living, but that said you don’t compromise your goals in that with safety,” said Sauter.
