Gov. Jay Inslee issued new guidance allowing the resumption of self-service buffets, salad bars, salsa bars, drink stations and other types of communal food sources in Phase 2. File photo

Gov. Jay Inslee issued new guidance allowing the resumption of self-service buffets, salad bars, salsa bars, drink stations and other types of communal food sources in Phase 2. File photo

Buffets and salad bars back on the menu in King County

Gov. Jay Inslee has revised rules to allow self-serve food areas in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening.

Buffets and salad bars are back on the menu for restaurants and bars in King County.

But it could be a while before any bands perform live in those establishments.

On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee quietly issued new guidance allowing the resumption of self-service buffets, salad bars, salsa bars, drink stations and other types of communal food sources in Phase 2 of the state’s four-stage reopening scheme. Those dining options had previously been barred until Phase 3.

Seventeen of the state’s 39 counties are in Phase 2 and have been for weeks. Another 17 are in Phase 3. Five counties are still in Phase 1.

Under the new guidance, restaurant operators will need to install permanent barriers, like sneeze guards, to protect food. Once buffets and salad bars are restarted, operators must be able to ensure customers use hand sanitizer before and after handling any serving utensil.

And employees are going to have to continually monitor the food and beverage stations to make sure patrons are abiding the rules and maintaining physical distancing, according to the written guidance.

All other requirements for restaurants and bars, such as wearing face of coverings by employees and their customers when they aren’t eating, still apply and must be enforced.

Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, said the organization had been working with the state Department of Health to clarify guidance for buffet-style operations.

“Our restaurant operators are willing, capable and committed to keeping our guests, employees and communities safe,” he said in a statement. “We are seeking to earn trust by demonstrating compliance and commitment in all phases so we can reopen and stay open.”

Another change formalized this week prohibits seating at bar counters and live entertainment in the second and third phases of reopening.

Originally, both had been permitted in counties that had reached Phase 3. But a recent surge in coronavirus cases among young adults in the state and scenes of packed bars in other states, where the virus is spreading even more rapidly, stirred Inslee to step in and impose the restrictions.

“We just can’t have people mingling shoulder to shoulder,” Inslee said. “We don’t want to learn the lessons of other states.”

Also Monday, Inslee extended through Aug. 1 restrictions on visitors to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The state Department of Social and Health Services is reportedly working on a plan to enable those facilities to once again welcome visitors.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

File Photo
KC Sheriff’s Office sues over Burien encampment ban

Office of Law Enforcement Oversight director calls Burien’s ordinance “unconstitutional.”

t
City of Kent nears groundbreaking on $38 million operations center

To be built on East Hill for Public Works and portions of Parks and Police departments

Courtesy photo
KC Sheriff’s Office receives funding for mental health response

Two King County Sheriff’s Office projects will receive federal funding, including a… Continue reading

t
Kent Des Moines Station for light rail nearing completion | Photos

Work also continues on Star Lake Station and parking garages for scheduled 2026 route opening

Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. FILE PHOTO
Man faces hate crime, assault charges after Kent bus incident

Latino man allegedly used n-word and other racist slurs toward Black woman

Washington State Trooper Chris Gadd is transported inside prior to a memorial service in his honor Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Simply the best of us’: Memorial honors state trooper Chris Gadd in Everett

Hundreds of law enforcement officers pack arena for a public memorial for Kentlake High graduate

t
Covington’s Stephanie Lawson to run for 47th Legislative District House seat

Republican to challenge incumbent Debra Entenman, D-Kent

t
President Biden’s budget includes $500M for Hanson Dam fish passage

Green River facility would open connection to 100 miles of salmon spawning habitat upriver

Inside the SCORE jail. File photo
Inmate at SCORE Jail dies from unidentified injury

Makena Buckland, 21, died March 4.

Design rendering of the Interim Base electric bus charging station in Tukwila. (Courtesy of King County Metro)
King County Metro breaks ground in Tukwila on electric bus charging hub

The Interim Base will charge dozens of buses serving South King County.

t
Kent native Hawkins enjoying U.S. Navy career in San Diego

Kent-Meridian High School graduate has served nine years

t
Kent Police arrest Maple Valley man for reported assault, hate crime

Man allegedly called an African American woman racist names on Metro bus before punching, stabbing her