Photo courtesy of DanDan
Just in time for another emergency order from Governor Evers, DanDan opens for in-person dining. Now at a 25% capacity limit, compared to the 50% limit they had planned for after putting the finishing touches on their recent investment.
The investment in not only partitions for every table to become its own semi-private area, the owners of DanDan also opted to update their current HVAC hardware to allow for a UV filtration system. The system uses carbon fiber brushes to produce a refined electrical charge that proactively and safely cleans the air, recycling the air in the restaurant every 15 minutes.
Photo courtesy of DanDan
While the news of further restrictions on public indoor activities is just another symptom of how Wisconsin has been struggling with control over the virus, the staff at DanDan are behind the recent protective measures in place at the restaurant, according to co-owner, Dan Jacobs.
“This investment isn’t just for this winter, this is something that we could be keeping in place through next year,” says Jacobs.
Jacobs explains how his staff has been at the top of his mind when it came to re-opening his restaurant, even for carryout. He feels there is an important sense of purpose that may have been lost while everything was shut down and service industry employees didn’t have much to do. While staying home for the first five weeks or so of the pandemic, he himself felt a loss in that sense of purpose.
“Our first priority has always been keeping our staff safe and that we’re keeping them employed,” says Jacobs. “After that, you know, it’s welcoming guests into an environment we’d feel welcome ourselves going into. We’re not going to make any money this year. We’re OK with that, we know that. We gotta be able to survive, we gotta be able to get through this.”
One way to help restaurants get through this is part of the Heroes Act, the $2.2 trillion spending package, which includes the Restaurants Act.
“It is imperative that this gets done,” says Jacobs. “You’re gonna see one in two restaurants either fail or take on a loan or something that they shouldn’t and really just prolong their closing. It’s gonna be a really tough winter.”
If you’re planning on dining at DanDan, plan ahead and make a reservation. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the care they put into creating a comfortable environment. You can also enjoy dining on the patio, while the permits and of course carryout and curbside pickup.
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