Kay’s adapts in face of pandemic restrictions
WOONSOCKET — It might not represent a full comeback in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, but an assortment outdoor tables and umbrellas in the parking lot next to Kay’s Restaurant on Cass Avenue certainly looked inviting to those driving by after three months under a protective state shutdown.
The outdoor dining layout was especially eye catching to Robert Doire and his brother Paul Doire as they finished up their workday for Doire Enterprises, a remodeling and renovation business, and looked forward to a favorite Kay’s sandwich or lunch plate with something cold to drink.
“I love it and I want to thank Dave for doing this,” Robert said of the outdoor dining set-up Kay’s owner David Lahousse had pulled together under the new outside operation rules the state had issued this week.
Robert and Paul had actually encountered an
other outside operation at McT’s Tavern at 940 Mendon Road in Cumberland on Thursday and tried that out first before deciding to visit Kay’s the following day.
It definitely felt good to be getting back to some favorite local spots even if it was sitting in the parking lot outside, they offered.
“I love it. It’s about time we got out,” Paul said. He did have to bring along a mask, he noted, but he had several of those and didn’t mind the special rules for stopping in such as making a reservation with the names of the party and limiting groups to just 5 at the well-spaced tables.
His brother agreed with his view.
“A little bit of something, that is all we wanted. We can’t be locked up all the time and you just have to use common sense, stay six feet away and have a mask,” Robert Doire said.
Lahousse, who bought Kay’s from its founder Robert “Kay” Caron and has operated it for 20 years now, said he never expected he would be serving customers in the parking lot but also doesn’t mind making the adjustments needed to keep people safe while the crisis continues.
“They made it very simple and I understand the rules so that made it easy for us,” Lahousse said.
The outdoor set up allowed by the state Department of Health and the Department of Business Regulation requires businesses to take reservations, keep a written log of the diners in case they are needed for contact tracing later, and also to maintain a properly distanced table layout.
There are also rules for regular sanitizing and the wearing of masks by the wait staff and kitchen employees but nothing that Lahousse said his business couldn’t meet to do the outside operation.
“There are some changes, but we will adjust,” he said.
Lahousse, who also operates the Lodge Pub at 40 Great Road in Lincoln, noted there are many things that restaurants have to do under state health guidelines for normal operations and his businesses comply with those requirements as matter of course.
“What they are asking isn’t really crazy as far as I’m concerned,” Lahousse said of the new requirements for outside operations.
The payoff is that people are again dining at Kay’s even if they are seated at a table and umbrella in the parking lot, according to Lahousse.
As part of the move outside, Lahousse had to submit an outdoor seating plan to the city and have it reviewed by the fire department for safety.
After setting up a test arrangement on Thursday, Lahousse submitted his layout on Friday. The plan included blocking off section of the parking lot bordering the sidewalk with wooden fencing and traffic cones and spaced out the table at least 8 feet apart.
Everything was approved after the city’s review, and Lahousse said he sent off a letter to Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt thanking the city for its attention to helping his operation get up and running.
“I never in my life thought I would be sitting out here but it feels good,” Lahousse said of the outdoor set up on Friday.
While the new operation won’t replace full-time business, just as Kay’s ongoing takeout operation hasn’t, Lahousse said doing something under the shutdown allows Kay’s to stay in touch with its longtime customers.
“Seeing my customers every day give a sense of normalcy for them and me,” he said.
“They come in and they are so happy to see us,” Lahousse said of the customers come by to get take out dinners.
“One customer came in and said you made my parents day,” he recounted. The woman’s parents were older and couldn’t go out but having a Kay’s steak sandwich was something special, he explained.
Although most people know Kay’s for it is steak, roast beef, tuna salad, ham, and turkey sandwich plates, Lahousse said he made some menu adjustments for the shutdown based on his experience with menus for the Lodge and other businesses he has worked at over the years.
“We added American Chop Suey, soups to go, and I also have a baked stuffed shrimp,” he said.
The Lodge, he noted, will be reopening on June 1 under the new rules put out by the state this week.
While it has taken adjustment to get through the crisis, Lahousse said it was his past experience in restaurants that helped his own businesses.
“I grew up working at Vermette’s and Kay’s as a kid but most of my experience came from being an Executive Chef for Pub Dennis,” he explained.
It was while working for Pub Dennis in the 1980s, that Lahousse learned to move with the circumstances.
“I opened up 22 different restaurants of all different sizes,” he said.
Each had a different level of operation and sales and that took adjustment as well, he noted.
“For me, it gave me the ability to do what we are doing today, fortunately. I’ve morphed into whatever we are going to be when this is over,” he said.
As they sat at one of the tables on Friday, Kristen Polletta and Gene Conway of Pawtucket said it was nice to be back at Kays, even if it was outside.
“I love it here and I’m a regular,” Conway said.
“I think it’s pretty awesome,” Polletta offered. “It’s neat that they are going with the outdoor seating and making the best of it. The weather is perfect, too,” she said.