Shorty Small's at 11100 N. Rodney Parham Road in Little Rock
Paul Kreth, co-owner and CEO of Shorty Small’s in Little Rock, told Arkansas Business that he and his team “just want to claim that we’re doing the best that we can possibly do” when it comes to protecting diners and the restaurant’s employees from the coronavirus.
Doing the best has meant the restaurant has installed iWave air purifiers, ultraviolet light systems and high-density air filters in each of the seven air-conditioning units in the restaurant. “We call this scrubbing the air,” Kreth said in a press release.
He and his managing partner, David Rackley, did a lot of research while the restaurant was closed and came to the conclusion that the coronavirus might be airborne, something that the World Health Organization has acknowledged.
In addition, Shorty Small’s hired Servpro to deep clean the building, instituted a weekly disinfection of the restaurant, trained staff on new protocols and developed a new pandemic-inspired reservation system.
The system requires customers to wear masks, attest that they’re free of COVID-19 symptoms, haven’t been in recent contact with someone who has the disease and agree that they’ll adhere to the restaurant’s spacing policies. Kreth calls those who agree “certified customers” and the reservations “certified reservations.”
The reservation system, Rackley said, removes a lot of the uncertainty about dining in the pandemic age by making the restaurant’s expectations clear. He said the public’s response has been “overwhelmingly positive.” Kreth said he’s willing to share the technology with other restaurants.
Shorty Small’s used money from an Arkansas Ready for Business grant to pay for the updates and reopened to dine-in service last month, with 12 tables inside and six outside.
That compares with 40 tables previously. And of the first 17 submissions of the reservation form, all signed it and 13 made a reservation, Kreth said.
The restaurant is also offering to host fundraisers for nonprofits during the pandemic.
Still, the crisis has taken a heavy toll: The Shorty Small’s restaurant in Oklahoma City and the one in Branson, Missouri, have closed permanently.
“We hope to be able to make enough money to stay in business until the pandemic leaves,” Kreth said.
Sign up for Daily E-news
