Covid19 Safety -Updated 2/12/20
COVID19 SAFETY
We are pretty much open as usual with a few changes.
Our seating is now spaced out, more than usual. Where seats have less than 2m spacing, we have installed safety screens, to protect your table from the one next to you.
One of the main considerations to safety is proximity to others. To alleviate this, we have the following rules in place:
Updates to Covid Secure
We have a streamlined system for registering for Test & Trace. And we have brought the start/finish times forward for the jazz sessions to comply with the curfew…
TEST & TRACEJazz Sessions
All stores are open for a limited takeout offer. Please check your local Stray’s Coffee for more details about what’s available.
We continue to observe Covid Secure measures, including regular sanitising of work areas and touch points. Our staff continue to wear face coverings and we rota separate teams who are isolated from their respective others.
Our toilet facilities are currently closed and we keep our front doors open to allow for more airflow during the day. We have clear markings to encourage 2m+ distancing, operate a one-way system wherever possible and have provided waiting areas with screens while we prepare your order for you.
NEWARK

Hours:
Monday to Saturday
9:00am to 4:00pm
OAKHAM

Hours:
Monday to Saturday
9:00am to 3:00pm
Sunday – 10:00am to 3:00pm
STAMFORD

Hours:
Monday to Saturday
9:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday – 10:00am to 4:00pm
General Safety Measures
- We have a strict policy of No Mask, No Entry. This is to ensure we keep all customers and staff as safe as possible. Where there is an exemption, ideally, we ask a mask-wearer in your group to order, or if that isn’t possible we will take your order at your table.
- We will be operating a one-way system wherever possible, to ensure people are kept a safe distance apart. This means, that you may leave the shop via a different way than you entered it. There will be plenty of signage and guidance to show you where to go. Please see each store page for more information about our safety measures and remember, our floor staff are happy to help.
- For eat-in, tables are spaced at 2m+ OR we have installed safety screens between tables to provide a barrier.
- Will are currently only taking contactless or card payments. No cash.
- We will always play funky jazz in the shop, so even though everything seems upside down, you can tap your feet to a solid groove, while pondering the whole situation!
- Our loos are NOT available to use at Newark or Stamford. At Oakham, we are sanitising them every 60 minutes, so please be patient if waiting.
- We have installed clear plastic guards on our till areas, to ensure two-way hygiene. All our staff will be wearing face masks and/or visors.
- We are unable to make drinks in re-useable cups at this time.
- We have carried out an in-house risk assessment with all our staff, prior to publishing our rotas, to ensure that everyone who is working is safe to do so.
- We have published an in-house safety document, for our staff to use, which shows all our hygiene processes. This is accompanied by a remote safety briefing on Zoom for each shop team, prior to opening. Our safety processes include regular sanitising of any obvious contact points in the building and the customer areas, like the credit card machine, door handles etc. These enhanced cleaning processes are carried out every hour, on the hour . Similar cleaning checks are also carried out in our servery area and the customer loos.
We hope this page helps answer any queries you may have about how we’ll keep you safely distanced while in our stores. Of course, a lot of this will depend on you, the customer, being part of the process.
We look forward to serving you the best coffee you’ll have today and thank you for your patience and understanding while we all get used to the ‘new norm’.
Your Quick Guide on How To Stray’…
We’re very aware of how full-on this whole situation is and despite that, all we actually want when we go out to eat, is to not have to feel awkward if we accidentally cough near a stranger, or dare to touch anything that isn’t already physically attached to our person!
So, early on, we (Lizzie and I) decided that we wanted to be a strict as possible with regards to safety, but not bang on about it at every turn. We want you to be safe, feel safe, but not have to constantly be reminded every two minutes, that we are still nowhere near being out of this.
That led us to set up the coffee shops as they are. As safe as we can make them, but also, still very much Stray’s.
So, to re-iterate, we don’t take reservations, as always. However, we do have a limit of numbers, so once we are full, we don’t allow waiting in the building. We have staffed our shops according to the seating capacity, so as long as we stick to the no waiting rule, we have the ability to look after the people in our buildings.
And finally, we don’t allow access to our shops to anyone not wearing a face covering. After taking advice from the local authority, it was agreed that in the best interest of the general public, we would not allow entry without a face covering. We realise this may cause various responses, but we are acting to safeguard the majority and inevitably, we may upset a small number of people. We apologise in advance if this is the case, but assure you, we are acting responsibly as a local business, wanting to stay open and provide a safe environment for everyone.
Your quick guide on How To Stray'
- Come to the shop (obviously)
- Find a table (no more than 6 in any group indoors)
If you’re going to sit outdoors, you’ll need to get a menu from the till on your way to your seats - Decide what you want to eat and then send ONE person to place the order at the till. Where one-way traffic is enforced, that person may have to come back via the scenic route!
- When you return to the counter to place your order, please register your visit for Test & Trace (yes, we know it’s a dubious way to collect data, but let’s do it anyway, to show we’re all working together to beat this) You can either register securely here → or use the NHS COVID-19 app in store by scanning the QR code via your mobile. If you don’t have a mobile, we can manually record your visit via our till. Just let us know. This is not required for Takeout.
- Return to your table, where we will bring your order once it’s ready. Once in the safety of your seating area, you may remove your, (probably rather sweaty) facemask!
- Enjoy your coffee, cake or whatever else you’ve ordered
- If you’ve enjoyed your Stray’ please take a moment to tell the world! If not, please tell us!