AFFTON, Mo. — Missouri’s first food truck garden is reopening this week after briefly shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A spokesperson said 9 Mile Garden worked closely with the St. Louis County Health Department for a plan to reopen on Aug. 12.
It'll be open Sunday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
According to 9 Mile Garden, here are the new safety guidelines:
● During the current county restrictions, the outdoor garden area will be limited to seated guests—except for those standing in line at food trucks. No standing room allowed.
● We will limit our indoor bar seating capacity to 0% capacity. People can order drinks in The Canteen, and then they will take them to the outdoor area to enjoy them.
● Social distancing lines will be painted six feet apart on the ground in front of each truck, each service.
● All food will be served in to-go containers, and food and beverage wares are single-use.
● We have tables in the garden. Each will be sanitized by staff between uses.
● Only one group is allowed per table or designated seating area.
● We will use spray chalk to mark and indicate 10-foot seating circles which will be numbered as well, and staff will allow people to designate their own seating area (up to 6 people in each area). These seating circles will be 10 feet apart from one another.
● Every employee will be required to wear a mask, inside or out. Temperature checks and symptom screening questions will be asked of every staff member. Staff with temperatures above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will not be permitted on premise.
● All standing guests are required to wear masks. We will offer masks to all guests.
● Social distancing signs will be hung throughout the garden.
● We will give verbal cues to guests, reminding them of remaining 6’ apart and/or to wear a mask.
● We will limit how many people use the restrooms at one time by monitoring the restrooms with staff and requiring mask use in the restroom.
● We will post signage listing symptom questions and/or conduct direct screening of customers regarding COVID-19 symptoms.
● We will follow St. Louis County Department of Public Health Food Establishment and Bar Operating Guidelines, and all applicable Public Health Orders and Guidelines.
“We made the decision to temporarily close on July 31 because we wanted to be proactive and make sure we could operate safely and responsibly for our visitors, staff, partners, and community,” said 9 Mile Garden Managing Partner Brian Hardesty. “Over the past week we have had extensive conversations with the St. Louis County Health Department and have agreed on procedures that allow us to safely operate within the health and safety guidelines put forth by St. Louis County.
It'll expand its hours to be open seven days a week with lunch and dinner daily. 9 Mile Garden was previously closed on Sundays and was not open for dinner on Monday evenings.
A spokesperson said, in addition, it has gone from providing events and entertainment on the weekends to offering daily events on the garden grounds and on The Canteen’s outdoor patio area.
9 Mile Garden will kick off its expanded hours with its first brunch on Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday evening dinner service will be added on Aug. 17. The Canteen, which was previously closed on Sundays, will now be open seven days a week.
“During our first month open, we had a lot of requests that we open the garden on Sundays to add an extra day of fun,” said Hardesty. “Having an open, outdoor space and the 26-foot screen gives us so many opportunities to provide a socially responsible gathering place for St. Louisans to go. We really ramped up our events calendar, and now we’re offering something to do here at 9 Mile Garden every day of the week.”
9 Mile Garden will also host beer bingo with music on Monday nights, a comedy showcase every Tuesday night and weekly trivia nights on Thursday nights. Select Cardinals and Blues games will be shown on the outdoor big screen, in addition to its regular Saturday night movies. All outdoor screenings are free to attend.
9 Mile Garden is located at 9375 Gravois Rd. in Affton.