That quote does nothing to disprove surface based infection though. Some people are better at not touching their faces than others.
https://jkms.org/ViewImage.php?Type=F&aid=694440&id=F3&afn=6...
If it were contact based, this would mean that at least one other in the restaurant must have contracted it that was outside of the airflow path. Since this not the case, the most likely thing is that transmission was with the airflow.
Why is it that you are so certain about this being surface based transmission?