NATSO Foundation

Learn From Your Peers

Discovering ways other operators are preparing can help owners and managers brainstorm pandemic plans at their own locations. The NATSO Foundation interviewed several members who shared their ideas.

“We want to offer temperature strips for the forehead that we can provide to our customers as a free service. If a cashier sees a customer who doesn’t look well, she could ask if he wants to check and see if he has a fever.” – Dan Alsaker, Broadway Truck Stops

“We’re going to be doing some hand-washing campaigns because hand washing, good hygiene and covering your cough will be key. I have a bunch of signs that stress the basics that we will use.” – Joe Pospisil, Seven Feathers Truck and Travel Center

“We have all of our sites set up for the flu shots. We have providers going to some of the sites and at the other locations, it is almost more convenient because we’re a 24/7 facility for us to give employees vouchers that they can take to the public health department to get their shot and then public health will bill us.” – Kim Dunbar, Broadway Truck Stops

“If an epidemic did come, that would put a strain on the team, but all of our team players are cross trained. In our Iron Skillet, Dairy Queen and Subway, they are all cross trained in the different food preparation. Housekeeping and cashiering are cross trained, too.” – Jim Goetz, Goetz Companies

“We’ve always advocated that sick employees stay home. We don’t promote paying overtime, but if someone is sick and we need someone to step up to the plate, we do pay overtime.” – Tom Heinz, Coffee Cup Fuel Stops

“We’re going to do additional monitoring to make sure the cleaning we prescribed gets done. We’re going to disinfect the door handles, the main doors, and the cash areas. We’ll wipe those down with antibacterial wipes. We’ll also wipe down the phones in our restaurant booths much more often.” – Dan Alsaker, Broadway Truck Stops

“We have put an antibacterial foam on the outside of all of our restroom doors. The idea is that people will wash their hands in the restroom and when they open the restroom doors, they will use the towel to open the door. But as they’re leaving the restroom, they can also use the hand sanitizer. It is just an added precaution.” – Jim Goetz, Goetz Companies