This springtime has been anything but normal.
With the closure of in-restaurant dining in mid-March, our communities slowed down and stayed home when possible. But behind the scenes, restaurants are busy making big changes to accommodate the
emerging “new normal.”
Happy Day has spent this time pivoting to online ordering, takeout, and delivery service. No small feat, but with the steady work of our crews, an awesome new ordering system, and flexibility as new safety guidance is released, we have been able to continue serving our valued customers.
We are going the extra mile to keep safe, making sure to follow all applicable guidelines from the CDC and our state and local health departments. We take great care to deliver our usual service while keeping socially distanced, in masks and gloves, installing plexiglass barriers at registers and shields at drive-thru windows, and making changes to our cleaning processes and service procedures.
Our Idaho dining rooms opened on May 16th, and Washington dining rooms (except Tomato Bros.) on May 20th. Among other precautions, we are limiting capacity, moving tables, adding barriers, and removing pre-set items from tables. Salsa bars and buffets will be closed for some time, and we anticipate changes to self-serve drink stations. We have also had to limit Happy Cup use and temporarily discontinue our popular monthly Veteran’s Meal.
Once in-restaurant dining returns, you may notice some other more fun changes, too.
Tomato Bros., which got a minimakeover, with new carpet, menu holders, and décor, and changes to the lobby, along with kitchen and plumbing updates, will open on June 1st for distanced dine-in. We are especially excited about our new brick pizza oven. Our Catering facility also got upgraded with a new stone façade and entrance area. Check it out when you pick up your next family meal!
Even as dining rooms open, we anticipate that online ordering, takeout, and delivery will continue to be a big part of everyone’s lives, especially for those not comfortable with public gatherings even when they are allowed. To help with this, Happy Day has already created a new online portal: www.HappyDayEats.com. On HappyDayEats, you will find featured items like weekly specials and family-size meals along with links to order for curbside pick-up or for delivery. Now you can skip the phone lines and get what you want quickly—you can even schedule an order ahead. If you do need to call in, all stores are still taking calls. Additionally, Southway Pizzeria and Zany’s recently installed new phone systems, so instead of a busy signal your call will be put in a queue so you can stay on the line to get service faster.
While we are generally experiencing longer drivethru lines and extra calls, we very much appreciate our guests’ patience and continued patronage as we work to bring you the freshest products and safest service possible.
