RESTAURANT
Staying Safe Pita Jungle takes extra precautions to keep its staff and guests healthy By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
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ita Jungle is taking its staff ’s health seriously. Restaurant co-founder Bassel Osmani and his partners hired Company Nurse, a triage and reporting service for workplace injuries, to further protect their employees, customers and vendors from COVID-19 exposures. Company Nurse uses a COVID-19 digital screening solution and triage guidance service. Osmani says employees are screened before entering the workplace. Employees have a unique link and QR code to access the service via website or mobile phone. Screened, healthy employees will receive a digital “green light” to share with their supervisors upon entering their workplace. If employees indicate COVID-19-related symptoms or exposures that may need to be addressed, they will schedule a call with one of Company Nurse’s triage nurses for additional guidance. Th is is an optional, additional service. Employers’ program coordinators have access to a secure admin portal to monitor and manage users’ screening statuses. “At Company Nurse, we want to help employers protect their workplaces and their organizations from COVID-19 exposures,” says Paul Binsfeld, president and founder of Company Nurse. “We’re proud to help participating Pita Jungles maintain healthy work environments and show their employees that Pita Jungle cares about their well-being.” Osmani calls Company Nurse a great program that allows Pita Jungle to introduce an extra layer of protection. “The Company Nurse program is helping us vet someone who’s symptomatic and putting them on the right track—where to go have a test if you run to the ER because you can’t breathe,” Osmani says. “It’s really helpful. It beefs up morale.” Next, he’s hoping to secure testing for the employees’ families. “I got the idea from the charter school my
Pita Jungle's menu is influenced by tastes from around the globe with the benefits of the Mediterranean diet always apparent through the use of healthy lean proteins, veggies, legumes, nuts, grains and fruit. (Submitted photo)
Pita Jungle
The Shops at Norterra kids go to,” Osmani says. “It makes it eas2530 W. Happy Valley Road, Suite 1261, Phoenix ier to catch something in the beginning 623-587-5572, pitajungle.com of it if we can get test results quickly— less than 72 hours—and take action on it. Four weeks ago, if someone wanted to get says. “We already had the footprint and our tested, they wouldn’t have the results until customers, who obviously kept their habits. eight days after the fact. Obviously, for those Those who didn’t, switched to it. We’ve held eight days, they’re not coming to work.” our ground. It hasn’t been a stellar year, but In addition to using Company Nurse, Pita it’s a year of survival. We count our blessings Jungle has implemented safety practices that we have the foundation to do deliveries. closely following the recommendations is- Now we’re working on enhancing it, putting sued by the CDC and state authorities. These our product in front of our customers, instead include enhanced sanitation procedures; face of them coming to us. We’re thinking food masks; social distancing; curbside pickup trucks and such things.” with tamper-evident bags; and strict food To help families stay healthy during the safety guidelines at all Arizona locations, pandemic, Pita Jungle started offering famincluding the one in Norterra. ily meals for takeout and curbside pickup. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Pita Jun- The $35 meals include Pita Jungle’s signagle serves a variety of vegetarian, vegan and ture hummus or caramelized cauliflower; a gluten-free options. Pita Jungle’s menu is in- family-style service of healthful ingredients fluenced by tastes from around the globe with to wrap pitas or build bowls; a choice between the benefits of the Mediterranean diet always signature salads and sides; and a sampling of apparent through the use of healthy lean pro- Pita Jungle’s walnut baklawa. teins, veggies, legumes, nuts, grains and fruit. Pita Jungle is also offering a shortened ver“Pita Jungle is having to adapt to this new sion of its regular menu for to-go orders and reality,” Osmani says. selling wine ($15 select bottles) and beer by “We hoped it would have waned by now, but the bottle with any meal purchase at select we’re still in the midst of it. We’re still hop- locations. ing for vaccines, but in the interim, it is the “We also rolled out a flatbread pizza menu new reality and people are adapting to it and and a happy hour platter,” Osmani says. “Four modifying consumption methods.” times a year we roll out a new menu with natPita Jungle was fortunate in that it linked urally sourced items that are as organic as with third-party delivery services before the possible. Last season it was paleo cuisine and pandemic hit. keto. We’re looking next at immune-boosting “We turned it up when this happened,” he foods to figure flus and viruses.” SEPTEMBER 2020 |
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