NEW TIER BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES
Woodland business owners adapt to new state COVID-19 guidelines
Yolo County moved into the orange tier on Wednesday, easing some restrictions for local businesses.
The move was signaled by the county’s declining COVID-19 case rate, but just as business owners have navigated other pandemic-related changes, this new tier is no different.
“The orange tier is going to help the restaurants for sure,” explained Rudy Peniche, who owns multiple downtown Woodland eateries, including Las Brasas. “Having a few more tables makes a big difference.”
Peniche sat outside of his newest venture, the Main Street Lounge, on Wednesday. Peniche opened the Lounge with coowner Toby Barajas last year. The Lounge is located in the former Scribbler’s Coffee Shop in the 400 block of Main Street, which closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Peniche noted that, although restaurants are embracing the new guidelines that come with the orange tier — specifically increased capacity from 25 to 50% — there are still obstacles facing the industry. Namely, a lack of new employees.
“It has been a challenge to hire people,” Peniche explained. Every restaurateur he has talked to, up and down the state, is facing a similar problem.
Peniche attributes the lack of interest to increased California unemployment payments. Currently, the state is offering an extra $300 per week to those who have lost their jobs. This “bonus,” as Peniche called it, is slated to end in September.
“We can’t compete with that,” he said, noting there have been several open positions at both Main Street Lounge and Las Brasas for weeks.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride with new challenges in every stage of the color process,” Peniche said.
Apart from staffing issues, Peniche has been overseeing the construction of a new parklet outside of the Lounge. Las Brasas has had its own outdoor seating area set up for months.
“The parklet will help for the summertime when the weather is nice,” he said. The construction is expected to finish by the end of the week.
The newest parklet is part of a set along that stretch of Main Street, between First and College. The other is located in front of House of Shah and is being built by the same contractor.
Selymon “Sal” Shahsamand, owner of House of Shah, reflected on how the past year under COVID-19 has been.
“We were pretty worried,” he said. “We were not sure what to expect.”
Unlike some downtown eateries, Shahsamand reported that they were able to avoid layoffs by cutting back on hours for employees, and were able to navigate health and safety guidelines. The biggest change, he noted, was not being able to see their customers.
In terms of the orange tier, Shahsamand explained that they are a small restaurant so being able to add a few tables has been great.
He’s noticed more foot traffic on the weekend, particularly from outof-town customers. Yolo County is one of the first counties in the greater Sacramento area to reach the orange tier.
Shahsamand expects this trend to continue and is ready to get their parklet set up to be able to serve more customers.