Patience, please
How to be a better restaurant customer during COVID-19 pandemic
On most days, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., people can find Krystal Harris behind a Plexiglas shield, perhaps smiling under her mask as she takes orders and packages to-go food in brown paper bags. ● Harris opened her south Phoenix restaurant Early Bird Vegan in late 2020, as a spin-off of her food truck Trash Panda Vegan. The corner shop serves Quetzal Co-Op coffee, house-made pastries, sandwiches and “superfood smoothies.” ● Her restaurant isn’t open for dine-in service, but she’s working on adding outdoor seating. ● Restaurant etiquette is so different now because of the coronavirus pandemic, Harris said. She feels fortunate she hasn’t experienced some of the worst problems her peers in the industry have endured.
Restaurants are operating a time when a server, dependent on tips, could face sexual harassment for wearing a mask. Customers, unhappy with a delivery mistake or having to follow safety rules, leave one-star Yelp reviews.
The Arizona Republic asked restaurant and bar owners and workers in metro Phoenix about their experiences and ways customers can be more considerate. Here’s what they had to say.
Check whether the business offers dine-in or takeout
Harris would prefer if customers, after placing their orders, wait outside for their food because her restaurant is only about 800 square feet and can easily get crowded. She also asks customers to respect that Early Bird Vegan’s dine-in services are closed right now.
“We love seeing our customers enjoying our food but having to stop all consumers eating indoors is something an establishment our size as well as many others in the valley are facing,” Harris wrote in an email. “Please know we want you here!”
It makes the process smoother if people come prepared knowing what to order by either looking at the online menu first or calling in their order ahead of time.
Many restaurants are also operating with different hours or services than they had before the pandemic. Ross Simon, owner of Bitter & Twisted cocktail bar in downtown Phoenix, advised people to find out what services are available before they show up.
“At the end of the day all these businesses are private property,” he said. “They do have rules in place, sometimes that’s to assist with service, sometimes that’s to assist with safety.”
Be kinder with reviews or bring feedback directly to the staff
Simon said it would be beneficial for “keyboard crusaders” to speak with a manager to resolve a problem, rather than leave a negative review.
“It’s not really the time for Yelp,” Simon said. “If you do have a legitimate problem, we want to hear about it and we want to fix it, as opposed to it’s a little too late when you Yelp about it.”
Simon said wanting to keep customers happy during a pandemic is like being stuck “between a rock and a hard place.” His number one priority is keeping guests and workers safe.
“That kind of overrides a few of the niceties, unfortunately, that we had before the pandemic,” he said.
Karissa Vasquez wishes customers would be more patient. Vasquez’s family operates Tacos Calafia in Peoria, Surprise, Tolleson and downtown Phoenix. She works at the register in the Phoenix location.
Just because a person doesn’t see other customers inside the restaurant, doesn’t mean they’re the only customer, Vasquez said. A customer might get upset because their food has taken 10 minutes instead of five, but they don’t realize there might be five online orders ahead of them, she explained.
“More people are calling in to make orders and someone has to get the phone,” Vasquez said. “So just be patient with someone. The person is still a priority, but we have other people on phone and online to take in consideration.”
Can’t wear a mask correctly? It’s better to stay home
Vasquez added that it feels uncomfortable to ask someone to wear a mask or pull their mask up, but she tries to be excessively sweet about it, using a pleasant tone of voice.
Still, some customers have gotten irritated, despite it being eight months into the county’s mask mandate. Sometimes, if they can’t hear her, they pull their mask down and lean closer to her, she said.
“I’m not just a worker, I have grandparents and family I would prefer to not get sick...and leaning in and pulling your mask down defeats the purpose,” Vasquez said.
Kell Duncan, co-owner of The Churchill in Phoenix put it simply: “If you are not able to wear a mask because of a health risk or concern, stay home.”
“Wear it, and please stop arguing with staff that is required to approach you to put it on,” Duncan said.
“The best customers we have come in with the expectation that in order to be open we have rules we have to follow,” he added. “They stop and read signage that explains our protocols and follow them. If they are approached and asked or reminded of a rule, they immediately agree to comply as it is usually an honest mistake.”
Understand there are still restrictions on how bars can operate legally
Gov. Doug Ducey closed Arizona bars with an executive order on June 29, 2020. Since then, many bars have transitioned into operating as restaurants in order to serve customers. That means many bars aren’t offering entertainment right now, such as concerts and dancing. They can be penalized for flouting COVID-19 safety restrictions.
“There is no dancing allowed at this time and people get so upset when you ask them not to dance,” said Heather MacGregor, manager of Desert Rose Pizza and Gastropub in Glendale.
“I have had people laugh in my face and continue on. I have had to ask people to leave due to not understanding,” she added.
It would be helpful if customers get used to bars operating in a limited scope and were more understanding that business as usual could lead to a closure notice from the state health department, MacGregor said.
“It’s a matter of our jobs at this point. If we get shut down who is to pay my bills? I am a single mother with two kids, I respect my job and need it,” MacGregor said.
“I’m not just a worker, I have grandparents and family I would prefer to not get sick...and leaning in and pulling your mask down defeats the purpose.”
Karissa Vasquez
A member of the family that operates Tacos Calafia
Respect group reservation maximums
One way customers are trying to bend the rules right now is by attempting to go out with large groups of friends. State guidelines issued by the Arizona Department of Health instruct restaurant owners to limit groups to parties of no more than 10.
At Bitter & Twisted, online reservations max out at groups of eight, but some customers try to make two reservations and then move their tables together, Simon says.
The tables have been measured to be far enough apart for adequate social distancing, Simon says. So when guests move furniture, it can throw off the whole carefully planned out room.
“We don’t want to be those people, we want to welcome guests,” Simon says. “But if it’s a case of allowing a party of 12 in and being shut down, I’d rather remain open.”
Three days. That’s how long the sourdough-based pizza dough spends sitting, getting perfect enough to qualify as a canvas for one of Jorge Gomez’s trademark stone oven pies.
And that’s just one of the dishes the chef and owner of Humble Pie will bring to the local restaurant’s new location at High Street in north Phoenix, slated to open in late-February.
The restaurant, called Humble Bistro, will flaunt its new Italian cuisine with European and Latin influences. Along with signature items – like Korean chicken pizza and churros with dulce de leche – from Humble Pie locations in Scottsdale and Glendale, the menu will reflect Gomez’s emphasis on handmade pastas with dishes like pappardelle with Italian braised short ribs in a light cream sauce; cacio e pepe; and a cremini mushroom sacchetti featuring a brown butter truffle sauce, wild mushrooms and fresh ricotta.
Other menu highlights include:
Moules frites: Gomez will put his spin on this classic dish that includes black mussels in a white wine butter sauce, shallots and garlic confit with a side of pomme frites and house-made caper remoulade.
Skirt steak chimichurri with pomme frites and a house made caper remoulade.
Braised and pan-seared chicken and with a side of pomme frites.
The menu reflects Gomez’s international travels over his more than twodecade culinary career.
“That’s how we eat now in the United States. A little bit of Mexican, a little bit of Spanish, a little Italian, a little French. We are a melting pot of flavors,” Gomez said on a weekday afternoon as he was going over the upcoming menu for Humble Bistro.
Why Gomez is a ‘nerd’ about pizza dough
But right now, Gomez wants to talk about pizza.
“I’m obsessed with it. I’m a foodie. I’m a nerd, too,” he said excitedly, letting the words roll without pause. “I get behind the chemistry… what happens to your body when you eat. The whole sensations”
The key to his Neapolitan-inspired pizza is the crust — made with sourdough
starter and local flour that contains the highest gluten content he can get his hands on. It takes time for the dough to rise, he explained, and for the gluten to break down and flavor to grow. It’s about 72 hours.
“I want it to have that sourdough flavor and the gluten breaks down so nice, light and airy. It has a little chew to it without being filling,” Gomez said.
This dough is versatile enough to be used across the menu: In the forno bread starter, the pita that accompanies the charged jalapeno hummus, vehicle for the panozzos – Italian sammies – and the English muffin for the brunch sandwich.
What to know about chef Jorge Gomez
Humble Bistro will feature the same ambiance and furnishings that came with a full-scale renovation to its sister locations when Gomez took the helm in March 2019. The welcoming vibe of a neighborhood eatery is enhanced with neutral shades and old-world aesthetics like Vintage Edison bulbs, black refurbished seating and antique accents.
When the new menu, look and rebranding was ready to launch, COVID-19 hit, delaying the full-fledged reveal until late last year.
Although Gomez’s debut with Humble Pie seems relatively new, the classically trained chef is no stranger to the Valley. His international and local culinary
experience includes tenures with LGO Hospitality’s Chelsea’s Kitchen, Upward Project’s Postino and hospitality company Genuine Concepts’ The Vig.
Food Network viewers will also recognize Gomez from his competing in cooking reality shows like Guy’s Grocery Games and Ultimate Summer CookOff, where he was a two-time winner.
Growing up in Hermosillo, Mexico, Gomez first learned to cook when he was 8. White rice was the first dish he tried to perfect. He did that at 11.
“I was always in the kitchen. I liked to taste and figure out flavors and what to add,” he said.
Gomez recalled his family’s weekly Carne Asada Sunday, when everyone gathered to enjoy suppers cooked on the grill.
“It was cultural, sitting down with a big family in Mexico. Food is about love,” Gomez said.
However, being a chef was nowhere near his career radar.
How he feel in love with cooking
Gomez’s dad is a surgeon and his mother an orthodontist. As far as he can remember, he was told – not advised – that he would be a doctor and follow in his dad’s footsteps. He was told about the private practice and pharmacy that would await him upon earning his medical degree.
Gomez was a high school senior when he received notice from a university that he had received a full-ride scholarship through medical
That was a wakeup call.
“When I saw that letter, that’s when I realized I didn’t want to do medicine. I wanted to cook,” Gomez recalled. “My dad was like, really?”
Gomez entered the prestigious Culinary Institute of Mexico with a partial scholarship. His father helped him pay for the remainder of the tuition. Eventually, Gomez received larger scholarships and was able to pay the tuition on his own.
Gomez went on to earn his culinary arts degree with a minor in business management.
It took a while for his family to grasp and accept the idea that he would be cooking for a living. Seeing him work his magic in restaurants, patrons’ appreciation for his creations and his appearances on the Food Network brought them around. Winning Summer Cookout was what sealed the deal for his dad.
“He said, ‘Oh, you are a really good chef,” Gomez recalled, laughing. “(I said) Thanks papa, it only took you 17 years.”
Gomez was working in Barcelona when his sister announced plans to attend Arizona State University. She asked him to come along and Gomez discovered his second home.
“I thought, let’s do it. Let’s try it out. Then, I fell in love with this place,” he said.
school.
‘I’m always looking for what’s the best way to feed people’
At Humble Pie, Gomez revamped the menu starting with the basics. He replaced what he found with fresh – not frozen – ingredients and obtained the best flour he could find. He rewrote the menu with a European bistro flair that reflected his travels and hired chefs that he trusted over the years.
“You are what you eat. My main focus is to get great ingredients. With that, you don’t have to disguise anything,” Gomez said. “As a chef and father, I’m always looking for what’s the best way to feed people.”
Gomez said taking over Humble Pie sparked excitement over the freedom to execute his recipes and passion for food with no outside voices or pressure to succumb to the mainstream. If he wants to do something spontaneous, he does.
“I’m trying to be a little different,” he said. “If everyone is going to go right, why can’t I go left?”
Details: 5415 E. High St., #127, Phoenix. 480-502-2121, humblepieusa.com.