Guest information
Health & Safety Guidelines
The protocol Commissary published to guests during reopening, preserved here in full. Some measures have since relaxed — the standards behind them have not.
This page preserves the guidance as originally published. For current requirements, call the restaurant on 202-299-0018.
To Our Guests
After two months of being closed for the safety of our staff and guests in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our local governments have announced the first stage of reopening. Phase One allows us to welcome our guests back with patio dining.
We are also aware of the responsibility we hold, to create and maintain a safe environment for both guests and staff. Here is our plan for your safety, and our success together as we navigate this new environment.
The Process
- We request that guests make reservations through our website or via Open Table.
- Walk-ins will be accepted but will be limited due to fewer tables and limited properly spaced waiting areas. If you aren’t able to make a reservation online, we encourage you to call ahead and we can add you to the waiting list.
- Guests without reservations must provide name and contact information per government guidance.
- Since we are only opening our patios in this phase, and we have limited ability to cover them in case of rain, reservations will be contingent on weather. If it rains, your reservation may be canceled with notification.
- There will be a time limit of 1 hour 30 minutes for lunch & brunch and 2 hours for dinner so we can fairly utilize our limited capacity.
- Hours of operation will vary by location so please check our sites. Additionally, all locations will close for 1.5 hours each afternoon to separate our day staff from night and clean & sanitize the entire facility.
The Experience
- Please check in with our host stand at the restaurant door. If there are guests in front of you, please wait outside, 6 feet apart from the others, until the party is seated. After checking in, you will be escorted to your table.
- We will offer a single use physical menu which will be discarded afterwards. A QR code is also available, should you prefer, which, on scanning with your phone, will give you access to our menu. Our menus are also available online.
- Every table will be 6 feet apart from each other, so you will have enough space to feel comfortable.
- When you are ready for the check you may elect traditional style of payment through your server, or go to a designated payment area at the bar which will offer a contact-less option via chip, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
Additional safeguards
- We created a Covid specific employee manual with procedures that all Eatwell DC team members must follow.
- Every employee is temperature checked when they clock in every day. Temperature is logged on a card. Every employee must sign this card daily.
- Every food preparation employee must wash their hands and change gloves every 30 minutes. All other employees have strict handwashing guidelines.
- Tables will be thoroughly sanitized between seatings and all condiments will be single use.
- Most of our restroom doors are hands free. Most bathroom fixtures are touchless. Every door handle and bath surface are also regularly sanitized.
- We have hand sanitizer dispensers around the restaurants for your use.
- All of our team will be wearing face masks at all times.
What we need from our guests
- If you do not feel well, please do not dine with us but please, let us know in advance.
- Please arrive on time; not late or early. We want to make sure we do not have crowds of people waiting.
- Please do not overstay. There will be another party coming after the allotted time limit, and we do not want to make them wait. Your server will give you a heads up if you are nearing the end of your seating period.
Closing note
We know that whatever is ahead will have a big learning curve. We will listen to you and improve the experience daily. Our goal is to provide you with the safest environment and the best dining experience that we can in these times.
We look forward to a bright future around the corner, and we are happy to serve our community again!
What stayed
Several measures introduced then simply became how the restaurant runs. Contactless payment at the bar, menus available online in full, and the option to check in and wait outside rather than in a crowded entrance are all still in place.
The kitchen handwashing and sanitation schedules were tightened permanently. The afternoon deep-clean window, which separated day and night staff, left behind a cleaning routine the room still benefits from.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Are masks required at Commissary?
Requirements have changed considerably since this guidance was published. Call the restaurant on 202-299-0018 for current policy.
Is there a time limit on tables?
The 90-minute and two-hour limits described here applied to reduced-capacity service. For current practice, particularly for larger parties, check when you book.
Can I still see the menu on my phone?
Yes. Every menu is published in full on this site, which began as a pandemic measure and stayed because it is simply useful.
Do you take contactless payment?
Yes — chip, Apple Pay and Google Pay are all accepted, including at the designated payment area at the bar.
Do you still do patio dining?
The outside café seats around twenty-five and is open whenever the weather allows, as it was before the pandemic.
Come and see us
1443 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 — open from 8 AM, seven days a week. Call 202-299-0018 to book a table, or start an order online.