The new ID? You’ll need proof of vaccination to get into these local restaurants, bars and events—but there are extra perks to having that vax card.
Need another reason to get vaccinated? Many local restaurants, bars and events won’t let you in without a vax card (a pic is fine, FYI). Durham businesses kicked off the trend in early August after the Bull City reinstated its mask mandate, and Raleigh hot spots are following their lead (nod to Players Retreat with its fun “I am vaxxed!” buttons!).
The NC Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) is providing restaurants across the state access to best practices when it comes to enforcing a vaccine policy. The website states that restaurants asking for proof of vaccination does not violate HIPAA because “HIPAA only applies to entities within the health care field, and it does not prohibit asking questions about someone‘s health.” For those who are not vaccinated, the site recommends seating them outside or preparing their orders to-go.
Here, we provide a growing list of Triangle businesses and events requiring a vax card (as of press time). Translation: You have a spot, get your shot!
Several Triangle businesses want to award you for getting your shot (and showing it off so you can still support local!).
• Unscripted Durham is offering a Shot for a Shot for those who have received their vax. Every Thursday night on The Patio, the hotel’s rooftop space, guests can show proof of vaccination to get a free shot from the bar. Cheers to that!
• Donut “glaze” by this one. Krispy Kreme is still giving out free original glazed doughnuts to anyone who shows their vaccination card (limit one per day, unfortunately).
No matter what hot new eatery descends on DTR, North Raleigh’s Winston’s Grille has stood the test of time—earning its third NCRLA Stars of the Industry Award.
When you think of restaurant buzz, you always think of the new shiny toy so to speak—the hottest new resto or chef or location to hit town. And, lucky for that appetite, Raleigh’s got them in spades. But while we clamor at all the James Beard nods and cool eats and digs we can get, it’s not the up-and-comer that’s turning heads for the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s annual awards.
Nope. This year’s NCRLA Stars of the Industry Award for restaurateur of the year lands squarely in the laps of the duo behind Winston’s Grille—our steady standby. Somehow, despite sitting at a busy, awkward North Raleigh intersection—and in the face of every new top chef who comes to town or inspired menu that drops—this city staple has managed to stand head and shoulders above the rest. It’s not just any award, but the NCRLA’s top honor.
There are only a handful of Raleigh restaurants that have been around as long as Winston’s Grille. Opened in 1986 by Charles Winston Jr. and Wil O’Neal, the mainstay has become a Raleigh tradition for date night, family meals, business luncheons and dinners—even as a hot spot post hitting the links at nearby North Ridge Country Club—and everything in between. “We are very flattered to be given this award; we’ve been at this for a long time,” Winston says, humbly. “I guess if you do something long enough, you might get lucky like we have.”
This Stars of the Industry Award marks the third consecutive for Winston’s Grille. Longtime manager Roger Carter, who started at the restaurant as a bartender decades ago, was named 2020’s restaurant manager of the year, and Philip Gomes was named 2019’s NC restaurant employee of the year. Beyond the awards, the sheer loyalty of the resto’s staff (think of how many service industry folks you know who stay loyal to one place for years, much less decades—hey, um, maybe never?) speaks to what Winston and O’Neal have created.
Perhaps it’s a nod to a shared vision and true expertise. Winston, who comes from a long legacy of hospitality service (his father, Charles Winston Sr. was the original co-owner of the Angus Barn), and O’Neal have known each other their whole lives. Their parents were good friends, and Winston says O’Neal was always around his house growing up. “Our family considered him my parents’ third son,” Winston says. The pair became partners when O’Neal was managing one of Winston’s father’s restaurants in Greenville.
The two agree that the secret to longevity in the restaurant industry is having a good partner. “The restaurant business brings a lot of ups and downs,” says Winston. Seconds O’Neal: “We’ve always worked as a team with a foundation made of friendship. We’ve helped carry each other along the way.”
Winston adds that his father’s mentorship, especially in the beginning, was priceless, and the advice he imparted on them has been invaluable. Although his dad passed away earlier this year, Winston says his namesake will continue to influence him both personally and professionally.
… And let’s not ignore the gigantic elephant in the room. This top honor is being dished during a pandemic—when many are struggling to merely survive. Despite being forced to close Winston’s Grille for nearly three months (alongside every other resto in town), the restaurateurs survived and, obviously, thrived.
While making plans to reopen safely and keep patrons satiated, Winston and O’Neal continued to pay and provide benefits for their nearly 100 employees—a perk almost unheard of in the restaurant business. “Most of our employees have been with us for decades—some for 30 years—and we knew we had to take care of them,” Winston says.
Meanwhile, the co-owners adjusted Winston’s business model to utilize its large outdoor space upon reopening in June 2020. Anticipating that guests would prefer to sit outside, the co-owners invested in heaters for its token wraparound covered patio. “Heating an outdoor space as big as ours was a challenge, but it was well worth it,” says O’Neal. “The customers loved it, even throughout the cold, wet winter months, so it has been a great asset.”
Considering the average restaurant in America closes within 10 years—a statistic only exacerbated by the devastating year the pandemic dealt the industry—it is quite remarkable that Winston’s Grille has not only remained a Raleigh fave for patrons for 35 years, but continues to turn industry heads and receive top honors.
The savvy duo’s advice to restaurateurs wanting to open a spot of their own? “Take care of your people—both employees and customers,” says O’Neal. “If you do that, they’ll always come back.”
With Count on Me NC, businesses, as well as the public, pledge to take measures to keep everyone healthy and safe in the wake of the pandemic.
UPDATED 5/26North Carolina business owners knew when they reopened their doors to the public last month, health and safety would be top of mind for many of their guests. Luckily, there’s a plan in place to help folks feel more comfortable venturing out into the world again.
In May, the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) and state tourism office Visit NC partnered with NC DHHS and NC State University to launch Count on Me NC, a program designed to reassure guests that participating restaurants and customer-facing, hospitality-related businesses are operating at the highest levels of sanitation and safety.
Count On US from Carolina Ale House
“[Our research] from a few weeks ago found that the one most popular word people associated with travel right now is “unsafe,’” says Wit Tuttell, the executive director of Visit NC. “There is a perception issue there and people are afraid that traveling is unsafe. So we have to do everything we can to make them feel comfortable in order to get them traveling again.”
In fact, Tuttell says, the research showed that, when asked how they will approach getting back into traveling again, most respondents were very cautious. While 11.2 percent of respondents said they would jump right back in as if nothing had changed, 47 percent said they would approach travel carefully and 41 percent said they would hold off for a while and let others test out the waters.
“Places are going to open up and we will see how people behave,” Tuttell says. “If we can get people to behave well, we will continue to grow for the summer. But if we have too much of a good thing, we could see issues that could hurt us.”
In order to help alleviate the public’s fears, Count on Me NC participating restaurants ensure that they continue safe food handling practices, observe social distancing in table placement, offer hand washing and sanitizing stations and sanitize menus, utensils, place settings and condiments after every use if they are not single use. For all other businesses—tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants included—staff must pass a health check prior to each shift, social distancing will be observed on the job and all common areas and surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized regularly and thoroughly with specified disinfecting products.
Dr. Ben Chapman, an expert in consumer, retail and food safety culture in NC State’s School of Agricultural and Human Sciences, developed five training modules for hospitality industry employees designed to teach them the best operation protocols with regard to reopening following the coronavirus outbreak. The first modules, for restaurant owners and operators and front and back of house staff rolled out mid May, while modules on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces for all businesses, as well as guidelines unique to hospitality businesses, quickly followed.
Completed certificate at Cantina 18.
The training courses are all online, free, voluntary and take about half an hour for employees to complete. When a business owner and their workers complete the online courses, they print out a certificate of completion to hang in their restaurant or business and receive door and window clings with the Count on Me NC logo to display. They can use the logo on their websites and social media, on items such as menus and brochures and in their marketing and advertising materials. A website, countonmenc.org, is available for consumers to learn more about the program and the measures businesses are taking to keep them safe.
“Guests can learn what the guarantee means to them, so they will know all about the training and what we anticipate and expect to be able to provide to ensure their safety when they come in our establishments,” says Lynn Minges, the president and CEO of NCRLA.
“This is is exactly what people are asking for,” Tuttell says. “They say they want to go to places that have done these type of things.”
Tuttell says that, while these enhanced cleaning and sanitizing measures, combined with social distancing and the use of PPE, including masks and gloves, will be crucial to luring folks back into businesses again, North Carolina can expect to see a slower summer for tourism, but he thinks things will pick up again towards the fall.
Part of the success of Count on Me NC will depend on how members of the public behave once businesses are open.
“It is going to be like an experiment,” Tuttell says. “We want people to come back and explore the businesses and have a good time but we don’t want a stampede to some of the favorite places in the state, with people who aren’t willing to do the proper social distancing. We want to give people that comfort level to feel like they can get back and travel in a safe way.”
The same goes for restaurants.
“We ask patrons to make the promises to each other, simply that if they are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms, that they enjoy our food through contactless delivery and takeout options,” Minges says. “If they have underlying health conditions or are part of a high risk population, that they consider using delivery or takeout rather than coming into our facilities. And we ask our patrons to be patient and kind to our staff and other guests as we all try to adjust to this new normal.”
Killjoy, the soon-to-open cocktail bar near Glenwood South, and the popular cocktail bar Haymaker are teaming up to bring cocktail mixes to the masses. Mixes for some of Haymaker’s most popular drinks, and some of Killjoy’s most intriguing (sans booze, of course) will be available for customers to order in bulk and mix with their own spirits at home. During the coronavirus lockdown, restaurants and bars might get some leeway to sell mixed drinks. Lynn Minges, president and CEO of the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association, says her organization is working with state officials to relax mixed drink rules for pickup and delivery during the pandemic. Cheers to that, we say!
