A Letter from Nico, Re: covid-19 (UPDATE 3/15, Re:50% Mandate)

UPDATE:
March 15, 2020

In a not-unexpected move, the NM Health Secretary has mandated that, beginning on Monday, March 16th, all restaurants, bars, breweries, eateries and other food establishments operate at no greater than 50% of seating capacity and discontinue all bar seating. 

This is going to lead to a significant reduction in wages for kitchen staffers and tip income for servers and bartenders. I highly encourage everyone to continue to patronize your favorite bars, restaurants and breweries. Please help us to minimize the financial disruption that this mandate will have on the service industry. 

Turtle Mountain will be abiding by this directive, and will be open for business as usual. We look forward to welcoming you into the pub, and we hope that this situation blows over as quickly as it blew in.

Thank You.
Nico

March 13, 2020
To all Patrons, Friends and Employees of Turtle Mountain Brewing Company.

As you are all probably aware of by now, Governor Lujan Grisham declared a Public Health Emergency on Wednesday, and the NM Health Secretary followed suit on Thursday by declaring a ban on large public gatherings of 100 people or more. Although restaurants are currently exempt from this ban, I wanted to outline some of the procedures that the staff at Turtle Mountain will be implementing, beginning today, to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It is our goal to ensure that all of you, our patrons, can continue to come in and enjoy your favorite foods and beers in a safe, sanitary environment.

1. All menus and check presenters will be cleaned and sanitized after being picked up from every table, every time.

2. Salt, pepper, parmesan and crushed red pepper shakers as well as sugar caddies will no longer be left on every table. They will be distributed on a request-only basis, and cleaned and sanitized after every use.

3. Door handles, metal plates and bars on doors, faucets, and any other surface regularly touched by customers in the normal course of business will be wiped down every 15 minutes.

4. All staff at Turtle Mountain have been instructed to be extra vigilant about proper and frequent hand washing.

5. Extra paid-sick leave for any employee who is feeling ill so they can stay home without worrying about missing a shift.

With nearly every major American sports league suspending play, delaying the start of the season and cancelling tournaments, coupled with the cancellation and/or postponement of major events such as concerts, festivals and conferences, it is our belief that life must go on, albeit in a cautious and measured way. For this reason, we are taking these extra steps to ensure that gathering with friends and family at your local pub can be as safe and enjoyable as possible.

We look forward to welcoming you at Turtle Mountain Brewing Company.

Nico Ortiz, Proprietor