A visit to a restaurant looks very different today than it did just eight months ago. The new normal, which varies by county and state, includes customers waiting in their cars to be seated, have their temperatures checked as they walk in, being served by wait staff in masks and gloves, ordering from disposable menus, sitting at socially distanced tables and using contactless payment and hand-sanitizer packets at their tables.

With ongoing concerns related to COVID-19, restaurant owners have been forced to rethink how they serve guests as well as how they can ensure the safety of their employees. New requirements for staff include additional safety protocols such as staff temperature checks, mandatory mask-wearing, new cleaning procedures and other revised systems. It’s a lot to keep track of and calls for strong attention to detail.

Organization is key

Developing a health and safety plan to protect both staff and customers is an effective way to stay organized, but it is only half the battle—putting those plans into action can present an entirely different challenge.

Utilizing cloud-based technology is an efficient and cost-effective way to help manage the multitude of tasks involved in front and back-of-house activities, and new online toolsto increase and enhance efficiencies when it comes to oversight of employee assignments are quickly becoming available.

One such tool is the new Task Management application, available exclusively through DayMark’s MenuCommand® Kitchen Automation Platform. This application gives managers the ability to track and oversee employee tasks and scheduling, while also letting staff document the progress of ongoing restaurant operations. The app can also store training material for additional cleaning and sanitization procedures that are vital to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment.

In addition, the new Receiving Module, also from DayMark, provides managers with the ability to track received shipments of goods both at the store level and the corporate level. Data points such as on-conformances, short-ships and vendor performance can be recorded using an easy-to-use interface and a variety of intuitive features.

Health and safety are top priority

When it comes to health and safety, using technology to track and screen employee health is now a fact of daily life.Both the Task Management application and the Receiving Module feature unique added utilities that record daily health details, including temperature levels taken with an infrared thermometer. When staff members are designated as ‘sick’ in Task Management, they cannot be assigned tasks until they are determined to be healthy; when delivery drivers do not pass the Receiving Module’s health assessment, their shipment can be refused.

New temperature scanning instruments are also materializing, including the Body Temperature Scanner Kiosk offered by DayMark. This easy-to-use instrument provides contact-free infrared thermography testing that measures body temperature, as well as facial recognition technology to identify users and register their temperatures readings. The kiosk provides individual health statuses quickly and accurately without touching a thermometer, then records them in an easy-to-view log of recorded temperatures–perfect for use with staff, vendors, and delivery drivers.

Stay safe, stay open

Delivering a positive and safe dining experience that meets customer expectations and complies with local and state safety regulations is critical to maintaining a restaurant’s brand and reputation. Using cutting edge technology ensures the safety of employees and the public, and goes a long way toward building customer confidence.

Article originally appeared on the Restaurant Business website.