5 Reasons I Felt Safe Dining Indoors in Rockford Last Weekend

The Stateline is slowly reopening which is incredible for businesses that have been closed for almost a year, but some people are still nervous to go out, maybe this will help.

I'm not here to tell you if you should eat inside a restaurant or not, but I so want to share my experience from going to Octane with a few friends Friday night.

Here are the reasons I felt safe.

Reason #1: Reservations

First off I love reservations, it's my favorite COVID silver lining. Making resos helps me plan my day but it also helps the restaurant plan accordingly so that they know how many people they'll have in their restaurant at once. I sent Octane a message on Facebook asking for a reservation and in addition to confirming they had a table for me they also said, 'We strictly follow Dept of Health protocols. We do temp checks and masks on everywhere outside of your table."

Reason #2: Temp Check

This was the first time I'd had my temperature checked at a restaurant since this all started and what I thought was interesting, was that they checked it on my wrist. The idea behind this was because it was so cold outside that a wrist temp check would be more accurate. Took about three seconds and we were off to our table.

Reason #3: Socially Distanced Tables

It's nice when the tables are moved inside a restaurant so that they are far enough from other tables you don't have to worry about being socially distanced. That, to me, is the way to do it. Don't worry about setting too many diners close to each other, just remove the physical extra tables so that it doesn't happen. Good job, Octane!

Reason #4: Masked Employees

Every person working at Octane was masked, as was every customer that we saw walk in. Loved seeing everyone follow the rules.

Reason #5: It was Delicious

Ok, so maybe this one doesn't count for making me feel safe, but it made me feel good to get out and support a local business and eat some really delicious food!

I had the Hawaiian Bao and a side of the Octane salad and holy moly it was delicious, and the photo at the beginning of this story is a mushroom garlic sandwich and Caesar salad my friend had.

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