More and more SC Restaurants sign up for ‘Palmetto Priority’ safety program

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — More and more restaurants are joining a program designed to promote safety during the Coronavirus.

Three weeks ago, Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) announced the creation of the “Palmetto Priority” program, an initiative promoting restaurants who go the extra mile to keep staff and customers safe.

According to the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (SCRLA), 3,000 establishments across the state have applied; 1,800 have already had their applications approved, and 2,000 applications are currently processing. 

Announced at a press conference back in June, the “Palmetto Priority” program aims to restore consumer confidence in going back to restaurants.

“If I go to a restaurant and I don’t think they’re following proper procedures, I’m going to leave,” said Bobby Williams, the CEO of Lizard’s Thicket and the President of SCRLA.

300 of the more than 3,000 restaurants who have applied to take part in the program are located in the Midlands. The pledge requires owners to have their restaurant inspected by the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), watch three safety videos, sanitize tables, and provide PPE to staff. If a customer sees the sticker on the window and notices restaurant staff not adhering to the guidelines, they could report that establishment to the SCRLA.

Sara Middleton, whose family owns the Main Course and The Grand on Main Street in Columbia, says the initiative allows customers to see that restaurants are doing their part to try and keep people safe.

“It’s really out there educating the public of ‘hey guys, look at all this stuff we’re doing, look at all the initiatives we’re doing, look at what we’re doing to keep you safe,’ and hopefully people in turn are going to start reading that and realizing ‘wow, look at what they’re doing, I feel comfortable going out to eat and spending a night out on the town,'” Middleton told ABC Columbia News.

Williams says some restaurants aren’t choosing to take part since their owners believe the pandemic to be a hoax, but says he hopes others take the pledge soon.

He hopes that 75-80% of the 10,000 licensed restaurants in the state agree to take part.

“We would want to see the restaurants that aren’t doing it, when they see the success that other restaurants are having, that they would want to join,” Williams said.

For more information on the initiative, click here.