POSTED as of  1:00 P.M. PST

March 26, 2020

EaterLA.com

If all we've done over the years is try to make our sushi business sustainable, then it's got to be sustainable for everybody." — Sushi Nozawa Group, UOVO and HiHo Cheeseburger Co-founder Jerry Greenberg

To read article, click here.

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POSTED as of 12:00 P.M. PST

March 23, 2020

Implemented additional social-distancing protocols for pick-up and delivery. Please see new measures here.

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UPDATE: March 19, 2020,  2:00 P.M. PST

An Update

Based on directions from our government, HiHo is now open only for pickup and delivery.

Our sister company, Sushi Nozawa Group, recently announced changes to their operations in light of the ever-changing landscape. We share the same thinking and commitment to both our guests and our people and are following a similar course of action.

As you may know, the vast majority of restaurant employees are going to be without jobs by the end of the week. We, like Sushi Nozawa, are choosing something different for our people. We intend to keep 100% of people – both salaried and hourly – even though the core of our business of dining-in is closed. Our plan starts with a four-week commitment: while hours will be trimmed in many cases, everyone will have a meaningfully paying job unless the government orders us to shut down completely.

Meanwhile, we have temporarily expanded our delivery radius for both of our locations in order to better serve our guests. To view the safety measures we have in place with our to-go and delivery orders and for information on how to order, click here.

We look forward to serving you in the coming days and weeks, and we especially look forward to welcoming you back into our restaurants once things return to normal.

As always, we thank you for your support of HiHo Cheeseburger.

With gratitude,

The HiHo Cheeseburger Team

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UPDATE: March 16, 2020,  12:00 P.M. PST

Safety Measures We Implemented

We have implemented the following steps:

> All staff wear gloves, and they are required to sanitize and/or wash their hands each time they change gloves. They will also change gloves after every time after handling a credit card or cash.

> Hand sanitizer is available for guests and staff in all of our restaurants.

> We have implemented additional sanitization of high-volume points of contact (door handles, faucets, etc.).

> We have added an extra sanitization process after the end-of-the-night cleaning.

> We have implemented an extra sanitization step after each routine bathroom and restaurant cleaning.

> We have added more frequent sanitization of every iPad and touch screen.

> We have increased the use of sanitizer spray.

> We have increased the frequency of bathroom cleaning.

> We have reiterated with our staff all recommendations for health and safety to ensure that they are well-versed and adherent to the best practices.

> We are stapling our to-go bags shut for each delivery order, and our boxes, as always, are sealed with stickers.

> If guests enter the restaurant for pick-up orders, we have devised a contactless way to give them their food in order to maintain social distance.

> In order to ensure people do not come to work if they are sick, we implemented an Emergency Sick Leave policy that pays our people if they have virus-like symptoms. This pay is in addition to any existing sick leave our people have.

> We have created a set of COVID-19 specific procedures including an emergency shutdown procedure in the event a restaurant needs to close temporarily.

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UPDATE: March 14, 2020,  12:00 P.M. PST

Space Between Diners

We have implemented a new dining room seating policy to create more space between diners. Starting today, we are keeping  a seat open between tables/seats and asking our guests to keep distance if they are in line.

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POSTED as of 9:00 P.M. PST

March 13, 2020

Additional Preventive Steps We've Taken

In an email last Friday, we shared information about changes we made in response to COVID-19.  We want to update you on additional steps we are taking .

We have created a dedicated COVID-19 response team, and in the past seven days, we have implemented the following steps:

• In order to make sure people do not come to work if they are sick, we implemented an Emergency Sick Leave policy that pays our people in the event they have virus-like symptoms.  This pay is in addition to any existing sick leave we provide for our staff. 
• In addition to last week’s update, we have implemented many other additional sanitization steps such as:
• • Additional sanitization when each guest leaves (sanitizing the seats, counter, tabletops, etc.)
  • Sanitization of plastic-sleeved menus after each individual use.
  • Our team members will sanitize their hands as often as possible and immediately after handling a credit card.
  • Extra sanitization process after the end of the night cleaning.
  • Extra sanitization step after each routine bathroom and restaurant cleaning.
  • Additional sanitization of every iPad and touch screen.
  • Use of additional sanitizer spray.
• All paper menus will be discarded after each use.
• We have increased the frequency of bathroom cleanings.
• We have increased stock of to-go supplies in the event people prefer to order delivery or pick-up from our restaurants.
• We will now staple shut every to-go and delivery order bag. In addition to our normal process of sealing our to-go boxes with stickers.
• All of our team's business meetings are virtual, everyone who can work from home will, and canceled all travel has been canceled (except people returning home.)

For the safety of everyone in our restaurants, we are also putting a process in place to ask guests to leave the restaurant if they repeatedly cough or sneeze. We know when this happens some guests will not forgive us, but we believe it is what we must do.  Of course, if any of our people repeatedly cough or sneeze they will be immediately sent home (and will be paid as described above).

We have been adding new processes to protect the health of our guests and team each day, and expect to add more in the coming days.

Unfortunately, we do expect at some point that one of our people will test positive for COVID-19.  We are doing our best to avoid that issue, but also have plans in place for if / when that occurs. We have created a set of COVID-19 specific procedures including an emergency shutdown procedure in the event a restaurant needs to close for a period of time.

Finally, please take seriously the recommendations from the CDC and other governmental agencies. The better we all control the spread of the virus, the sooner we will see things get back to normal.

POSTED as of 12:00 P.M. PST

March 7, 2020

Keeping You Informed

At HiHo, we are deeply committed to the health and safety of HiHo patrons and staff, and we are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation as it unfolds. In addition to our continued adherence to county health and governmental protocols, we are also taking additional proactive preventative measures in all of our restaurants to keep our community as healthy as possible, including:

• Additional sanitization of high volume points of contact (door handles, faucets, etc.);
• Hand sanitizers for guests and staff in all our restaurants; and
• Reiterating with our staff all recommendations for health and safety to ensure that they are well-versed and adherent to the best practices.

We encourage you to follow the standard precautions outlined by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while we realize that cravings for our burgers can be strong, we ask that if you aren’t feeling well to please stay home.

Appreciating the unknown and changing nature of these conditions, we will continue to evaluate the situation as it evolves and to follow the advice and directions of local officials. We will, of course, keep you up to date with any changes.

Thank you,
The HiHo Team