A note about COVID

Firstly, and foremostly, on behalf of my wonderful team, I want to say a huge thank you for the support and love we’ve received over the last year. We are been so well supported by customers old and new that it’s been overwhelming for us. We’ve kept very busy with takeaways and deliveries that we’ve managed to push our business forward. On a business level, I was worried our 2019/20 target was an unachievable goal when lockdown began but we managed to continually surpass our expectations and in fact finished our second year of trading beyond the original target by some 15%.
With new lockdown restriction still in place, we’ve been thinking a lot about you all lately – our customers, our employees and our greater communities. Whilst we are striving to run our operations largely as normal, your health and safety are our top priorities and at the heart of every decision we make. We believe it’s critical to do our part to help to continue to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Here are some of the steps we are taking to protect everyone in this ever-evolving situation:

• We are working tirelessly to make sure that the food, drink and essentials you love are available when you want them, delivered to your door in the safest way possible.

• We are diligently following guidance and best practices from the NHS, World Health Organisation and the UK government.

• Our staff are available on the phone or email to answer any questions about your Anna’s experience, to work with you and to provide more information on the many precautions we’re taking to protect your health and safety.

We are equally committed to taking care of our employees:

• We continue to give staff the option to Stay at Home if they do not feel safe working at the cafe serving our customers. They can choose whether to take paid or unpaid leave.
• We have provided extra disposable gloves and face masks for them to wear during their shifts if they feel it necessary.
• We are asking customers to wear a face mask when you enter the café to pick up your order.
• We have provided extra cleaning and sanitising products for surfaces to be cleaned down regularly during the day – these include all door handles, surfaces, touchscreen till, card machine and handrails. We’ve also installed hand sanitisting units for customers and staff to use around the cafe.
• Through our established Staff Wellbeing Programme, we are providing all staff with the opportunity to access paid-for confidential mental health and wellbeing services over the phone or via video link.
• We are providing Statutory Sick Pay to our team from Day One that they need to self-isolate because of suspected illness themselves or their immediate family.

• We are asking staff to refrain from travel unless critical, and have issued written permits for their travel to work.
• Using our established employee communication methods, we continue to help employees stay connected and keep up-to-date with information to help them stay healthy.

While the environment around us is uncertain, we take comfort in the fact that we have a world-class team and a compassionate and loyal community of customers. We stand ready to serve, and hope that our website and social channels can be a source of support, inspiration and solutions for you – because sometimes we all need a break from the news.
Thank you for being a part of the Anna’s family,
Anna Federici-Preece | Partner
 
Taking Care of Our Team
While none of our staff can work from home (we are a customer facing, customer serving business), our delivery team (mainly Anna, Niamh and Georgia) is still up and running as our team continues to meet customers’ needs during these challenging times. We are proud to have a world-class team that is working quickly and safely to provide our customers with the food, drink and grocery items they need. Our no-contact experience has allowed us to deliver our products safely to our customers door using contact-free best practice – this includes payment over the phone, via PayPal or by card on your doorstep.
Protecting the health of our team as well as our customers, partners, and community is our top priority. We are taking the following measures to enhance safety and support for our teams:
Financial Security

• We have increased pay to above NMW for all our employees in line with National Minimum Wage rises

Health & Safety

• We have taken expert advice to implement preventative measures that are in line with guidance from the NHS.

• We have increased cleaning and sanitizing procedures in our shop/cafe, kitchen and storeroom, including regular deep cleanings, more frequent hand-washing and use of sanitizer, and cleaning all equipment between uses.

• We have taken a variety of steps to help employees maintain proper social distancing. 
• We have implemented a no-contact delivery process to keep our drivers and customers safe (See how customers can help us create a no-contact delivery experience below).

Contact-free delivery
In order to provide a no-contact delivery experience, we are offering curbside and doorstep deliveries only. Here are some additional steps we can take together:

• Our delivery person will maintain a distance of 1.5 – 2 meters when possible. We ask that you support our efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy by maintaining this distance as well.
• If you’re paying by cash on delivery, please pop it in a place where we can get it without touching you. On the ground is fine. We will leave your change in the same way.
• Paying cash in the cafe is fine – we just ask that you put your money on the counter and we will put your change down on the dedicated cash boards.

• Across our café, kitchen, storeroom and vehicles, we have increased our daily cleaning routines, including more frequent handwashing, use of sanitizer, and cleaning of equipment.

• Our drivers will use hand sanitizer and/or soap between all deliveries. They will refrain from offering the typical handshake out of respect and caution for all.