PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Fall 2020

Fall 2020  •  PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters  • 9 for Pandemic Indoor Dining existing strategies, such as placing plexiglass barriers between patrons, provide limited protection to COVID-19 that is suspended in the air for hours at a time. Fortunately, some companies are assisting restaurant & lounge owners in reducing airborne transmission risk by developing portable air purifiers built for this market. Some of their offerings even include advanced technologies, such as harmless Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NBPI), that are proven to neutralize and ultimately capture the unwanted particulate matter in a deep HEPA filter. The scientific community is concluding that Satellite HEPA is an essential tool for business owners to reopen and rebuild their business. Some early adopters of portable air purification technology in the restaurant and lounge business are marketing their efforts on cleanliness and safety as they reopen and rebuild. Providing a noticeable effort to keep customers safe could translate into customers choosing that establishment over others. As one “early adopter” stated, “At the end of the day, it is all about the foot traffic and customers coming to our restaurant. If they don’t come, there is no reason to invest in HVAC or other equipment and services. I have found Satellite air purification to be a prudent way to improve the indoor air quality of restaurants and bars at a minimal cost. We certainly are marketing our locations advanced air purification to our customers.”  By Tregg Farmer, President, GallatinAIR