KANYA Bar and Bistro enjoyed a successful reopening weekend, with measures in place to keep people safe going down well with diners.

Despite running a popular takeaway service during lockdown, Saturday was the first time that customers could dine inside the High Street eatery for more than three months.

The restaurant’s management team worked hard during this period to ensure it could keep people safe after reopening.

And customers said they were impressed with the calm atmosphere and measures implemented to ensure an enjoyable and safe experience.

“We started to prepare for reopening as soon as the reopening date was announced,” explained manager Monika Palka.

“I was a bit anxious about how everything would work, as we are normally crazy in Kanya with a full house.

“We did reduce the number of people we could accommodate to around half of what it is normally, with some tables reserved as service tables which nobody could sit on.

“When I was preparing risk assessments, this was one of the main things I was struggling on, but it worked really well.”

As well as this, other new measures introduced include disposable but sturdy plates and cutlery made from banana leaves, disposable menus and questionnaires to aid the NHS Track and Trace scheme.

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Kanya did allow a controlled number of walk-in customers, with others choosing to book in advance to secure their place.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be too busy as people will still be anxious about going out, so we are trying to show people that we are safe and there is no need to worry about people squeezing past,” Monika continued.

“I spoke with customers about this over the weekend and they said they felt fine and were impressed with what we did.

“I’m very happy with how everything went – customers were happy about the changes we made and we had a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

“Staff had their own choice about what PPE they wanted to wear and what they feel comfortable in. I wore a mask as I feel it keeps me safe and I wanted to show them that it is absolutely fine to wear one.

“The main thing is to wash your hands regularly and use hand sanitiser, which we have on every table and work area.”