We Are Back Open

and COVID secure! 

We’re delighted that we have been given the go ahead to re-open our venue. We reopen our doors on the 13th July at 09:00 We have been working hard since the announcement and will continue to do so in order to get Northern Tea House ready to welcome you back and make sure that we are COVID-19 SECURE.

What does COVID SECURE mean?
For us it means we have completed industry specific training and have studied the 43 page Government guidance, have carried out suitable and sufficient risk assessments and have implemented all the necessary changes to help manage the risk of COVID-19 within our environment. This will be noticeable in physical changes in our dining rooms in terms of layout & signage, in the service we offer as well as changes behind the scenes including procedures. 

Some of the biggest changes are: 

We have measured out the tables to over 1 meter between them. This has meant we have had to remove a number of tables. Our tables are for smaller groups of 4 and couples and we will not be able to be moved in order to accommodate larger groups until any new guidance dictates that we can. Please respect that this is not our wishes but form part of the social distancing measures we must adhere to.  By asking us to move tables will only make things awkward for staff and other customers. We have one 6 seaters for a larger group but you must be from no more than 2 households to use this space. 
You may be asked to confirm that you are visiting with the right people from your own home, one other household, or a support bubble.
We will expect all guests to follow social distancing guidelines and have installed signage throughout to remind you of this.
We will have some of our outdoor seating in use (weather permitting)
We have increased our hand sanitizing stations inside to 4. A new one will be placed at the entrance. 

When you arrive 

Everyone must sanitize their hands on entry.
We are obligated to collect names and contact details (preferably email but if not a phone number) of every visitor. This is to assist with the NHS Track & Trace system with requests for that data if needed. These details will be confidential, used for no other purpose, and destroyed after 21 days.
We can’t have people walking around or queuing so we are changing to table service. You will be greeted at the door and taken to an appropriately sized table either downstairs or upstairs. Once you are seated you must stay at your table unless you need to visit the washrooms. Please don’t ask to sit at a larger table than you need, remember we have already removed a number of tables we can’t afford to lose any further seats. 
Cash is not king. We want to encourage contactless payments as much as possible. Of course, we will still take cash but remember, we are trying to protect you and our staff as much as possible. Cash changing hands several times a day is not the most effective way but it can be worked around with a bit of care. Chip and pin is better once we sanitize the keypad but, contactless is king these days. 
As government guidance still states work from home where possible, we won’t be allowing laptops or business meetings in the shop. 
Finally, our aim is to make our Teahouse a safe environment for us to work daily and you to dine. The main symptoms of coronavirus  COVID-19) are: 
a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) 
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
To protect others, do not visit the Teahouse. Stay at home (self-isolate) and get a test

Thank You