LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 9, 2020) – After closely monitoring developments related to COVID-19, Yum! is expanding global health and safety measures following guidance from public health authorities worldwide, including new recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to further protect team members, customers and brands, it has announced.
The company is incredibly grateful for KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill restaurant team members for serving customers and feeding communities during this challenging time, it stated in a news release about the new measures. “Team members are the heart of the business and their health and safety is our top priority,” the release states.
These measures include:
Low-contact service experience to protect our customers and employees – KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill continue to be focused on making food available safely and with low contact through drive-thru, carryout, curbside pick-up, where available, and Contactless Delivery. We are using our global scale and industry expertise to continue to evolve and refine our practices based on the latest guidance and shifting consumer expectations, including implementing physical distancing measures in the restaurants where possible.
Safe workplace measures – KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill are making thermometers available and implementing temperature checks of restaurant team members in the U.S. over the coming weeks. In addition, some KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in the U.S. plan to install counter shields to add a barrier between team members and customers in restaurants where carryout remains available. Many international markets plan to or have already adopted these policies.
As previously announced, we’ve also further strengthened our already stringent global hygiene, cleaning and sanitation procedures in all restaurants including increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing high-touch areas, reinforcing our strict handwashing, health and wellness policies and ensuring hand sanitizer is available.
Personal protective equipment for restaurant employees
• Protective facial coverings. KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill have started requiring restaurant team members to wear non-surgical grade face masks or coverings as an added protection in all Yum!’s U.S. restaurants and internationally, where facial coverings are recommended or required by local health authorities. Restaurant team members are allowed to temporarily wear their own cloth face coverings until Yum! secures enough non-surgical grade face masks to supply the global system.
• Single-use disposable gloves. All guest-facing restaurant team members in the U.S. will wear single-use, disposable gloves during their shifts, in addition to team members who are already required to wear gloves when handling and preparing food after they’ve thoroughly washed and sanitized their hands.
Company-owned restaurant employee pay – In nearly 900 U.S. company-owned KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill restaurants, Yum! is paying employees who are required to stay at home for their scheduled or regularly scheduled hours during their time away from work.
Restaurant employee medical relief fund – Through the Yum! Brands Foundation’s Global Employee Medical Relief Fund, Yum! is providing financial support for restaurant employees at company and franchise-owned restaurants who are diagnosed with or who are caring for someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Yum! and brand employees and others can also donate to the Fund by going to www.yum.com/giverelief. Any funds that are raised that aren’t allocated to restaurant team members will be used to support other front-line workers and those facing food insecurity.
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