By Marco Madron
Since COVID-19, students have lost many beloved hang-out spots; however, some have started to make a comeback. A spot soon to join these places will be NAIT favourite, The Nest Taphouse Grill.
General manager of The Nest, Michelle Dirksen said that they plan to reopen very soon but the exact date is still to be announced. They are making sure to take every precaution possible to follow AHS guidelines for reopening, working with NAIT’s relaunch committee to ensure the safety of the NAIT community.
“Our employees will be screened daily to ensure that they’re healthy and safe to serve the public; no person, guest or employee, displaying any symptoms will be allowed into The Nest. We will be refusing dine-in service to those experiencing symptoms and we also plan on screening our customers,” said Dirksen.
Dirksen also confirms that masks will be mandatory in the restaurant, and social distancing and sanitization guidelines will be enforced.
“Our employees will be practicing respiratory etiquette, strict hand-washing procedures and will be using PPE (personal protective equipment) with personal infection prevention measures designated to limit the spread,” Dirksen said.
“We are operating at a reduced capacity and will only be limiting service to seated guests. We’ve changed our menus so that they will be available digitally and in a disposable format.”
Dirksen said the front entrance to The Nest will be closed and that only the interior campus entrance will be open so that they can provide service strictly to the NAIT community. Currently, they are not looking to expand to serve the public.
Due to safety risks, live events won’t be happening at The Nest. Dirksen stated that the current focus of The Nest is people before profit.
The Nest reopening allows the NAIT community to grab food or a drink without having to go to an off-campus location like a restaurant or Kingsway mall across the street. The Nest Taphouse Grill will be reopening under the name Nest Eatery to enforce the focus of serving food in a safe manner.
