Updated March 23, 2020
Yesterday we received some big news from our government leaders ordering our community to ‘Shelter in Place’ until April 6. We took time to reflect on the role our business plays in upholding this order and Hot Chicken Takeover’s responsibility in combating COVID-19. Protecting our team and you, our guests, has always been our number one priority, and though this is a very difficult decision for us, we know it is the right one.
Today at 3pm, we will be closing our Easton and Clintonville restaurants for the near future. Shutting down our kitchens is the only way we can ensure the safety of the people we care about most, and right now, that’s all that truly matters. This global health crisis is a lot bigger than fried chicken, and we’re committed to doing our part so we can come back together stronger than ever.
Through these closures, each and every member of our team remains a part of our HCT family. All team members will be supported with income continuity between HCT and community and government relief. We’ll also continue to cover staff on our health insurance plan. We’ve leveraged and adapted existing HCT benefits to make for smooth transitions during all this uncertainty.
We’re unsure when our restaurants will reopen, but we’re working tirelessly to honor our mission throughout these uncertain times. We need your support more than ever and if you feel compelled, have a few ways you can help us.
We share tips equitably at HCT and thanks to you, we’ve created a flexible fund of extra gratuity to directly invest in our team. Your generosity will provide further stability for our team members without work these coming weeks.
You can also pre-purchase your favorite HCT meals in advance by picking up gifts cards online – we’ve discounted these to reward your support.
Your dedication to our team has really shown us how special this community is, and we are so grateful for you. There was a line wrapped around the block at our Clintonville window all weekend. Those moments, in all of this uncertainty, remind us why we’re here.
We don’t quite know when, but we know we’ll be seeing you again soon.
Onward,
-Joe
Updated March 20, 2020
We’ve been hosting daily team calls— dedicating time to check-in with each other, prepare for the uncertainty of the day and tell stories about you, our guests. Your enthusiasm and generosity have really uplifted our team in this time of crisis.
We have a dedicated purpose at HCT, but it’s not something we often share outside our restaurant walls. Our mission is to create extraordinary experiences for extraordinary people and it’s a statement that has multiple meanings. From the start, we set out to be an extraordinary employer and provide an experience that offers stability and growth for our team. With so much uncertainty happening in our world right now, we’re fighting to protect that culture, especially today.
At 3pm, our North Market and Crocker Park restaurants will close their doors for the near future. These locations rely on working professionals, tourism, conventions, and dine-in traffic – and that’s just not a part of our world right now. These are the difficult decisions we never thought we’d have to make, but we have a plan in place for our team to help us bridge this gap until we are able to safely come back together again.
We’ve ensured all team members whose work has been suspended will have income continuity between HCT and community and government relief. We’ll also continue to cover all team members on our health insurance plan. We’ve leveraged and adapted existing HCT benefits to make for smooth transitions during all this uncertainty. And thanks to you, we’ve also created a flexible fund of extra gratuity to directly invest in our team.
Our Clintonville and Easton locations remain open at regular hours and are offering curbside pick-up— you can learn more about this alternative option to our traditional takeout here.
Seeing you, whether it be from our pick-up window in Clintonville or through your car window curbside truly makes our day. Thank you for the tremendous amount of support and love. We’ve never been more proud to be a part of this community.
-Your HCT Team
Updated March 14, 2020
The health and safety of our team and our guests is always top of mind and our highest priority. Over the last few weeks, we have been monitoring the CDC’s protocols and have been actively adapting our restaurants to ensure we are doing everything we can to support our community’s efforts to contain the virus.
As an ongoing promise to maintain an open and transparent dialogue with you, we’ve outlined our enhanced procedures below:
- From open to close, we will continuously disinfect all dining room touch points using a food safe grade disinfectant. This is in addition to our normally high standards of cleanliness using quaternary sanitizer.
- We have a dedicated team member sanitizing high touch points in our dining room on every shift.
- Our communal seating is a very special part of the HCT experience, but for now, we will be removing some of our seating to create social distancing and will be encouraging to-go options during this time.
- We have removed our paper towel rolls and are moving to single use napkins.
- Our condiments— Ranch and Syrup— will be pre-portioned for your protection.
- We have transitioned to pre-packaged and sealed cutlery.
- Sanitizer will be available in multiple areas in our dining rooms.
- In our kitchens, safety and sanitation have always been a top priority. We will continue to follow our same protocol, diligently sanitizing all work surfaces, stations, and team member areas.
- We’re encouraging our team to take time off to care for themselves and their families. We will be providing assistance for any member of our staff experiencing hardship from missing work due to COVID-19.
- We have posted the most recent CDC COVID-19 guidelines and precautions in our restaurant’s back-of-house and host daily meetings with all team members outlining these guidelines. As the CDC continues to make additional information available, we will adapt our procedures and thoroughly educate our team.
At HCT, we strive to create an inclusive gathering place for friends and family to enjoy a homemade meal made with love and care. We are deeply committed to serving you through these uncertain times, and have taken precautionary measures to ensure your safety. If you and your family are choosing to dine out, or just want the comfort of a hot chicken meal, there are a few ways to enjoy HCT outside of our restaurants. We offer online ordering and our Clintonville location has a convenient pick-up window for your to-go orders.
If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to ask for a manager the next time you’re in or email us at info@hotchickentakeover.com. For questions and updates around Ohio’s efforts to combat COVID-19, visit the Ohio Department of Health.