Restaurants gradually open dine-in
Despite the strange, tense atmosphere decorating restaurant takeout lines in Humboldt County during the coronavirus pandemic — masked silence, vigorous hand-sanitizing — there are moments that servers and hosts have enjoyed, like when the old regulars come by to pick up some dinner.
“I’ve already seen a few familiar faces today, and even through the mask, it’s nice to see them!” said Carly Paronelli, bar lead at Mad River Brewery. The Blue Lake beer-and-bites spot will open for dine-in on Saturday, one of a number of restaurants around the county allowing folks back inside as part of the stay-athome order’s next stage.
The county began allowing restaurants to reopen Friday under pre-approved permits. Not all restaurants are taking up the offer, including Cafe Waterfront in Eureka, which elected to open for takeout orders only and put off dine-in services.
“We aren’t ready,” said Leslie Smith, one of the managers at the family-owned restaurant. “We want to make sure our employees and families are safe, so we’re going to start slow.”
Restaurants that have gone ahead with reopening dine-in options say they will comply with county laws to make sure customers feel safe from COVID-19, which experts say can be spread through respiratory droplets by those within six-to-ten feet of each other.
Staff at these restaurants say they have removed around half the chairs and barstools in their venues while sliding tables away from each other and wiping down everything (like condiments containers) that came into contact with a party’s table.
Brick and Fire Bistro in Eureka is allowing guests in by “turns” — instead of allowing customers to filter in and out, the restaurant will seat clusters of people at a time, dividing up groups of parties by reservation slots.
“You see them, they leave and the next round comes in,” said Jeremy Wadlington, the restaurant’s executive sous chef. “We’re trying to modify how we do reservations, and we’ll operate at half capacity (at any given time) to keep it safe.”
Not all staff has returned to Brick and Fire, some citing concerns for their own health as reasons not to immediately resume work.
Although businesses across the board have been stung financially by the coronavirus pandemic, some places, like Toni’s 24-Hour Restaurant in Arcata, have relied on a natural takeout format to ride through the dine-in restrictions.
“We’re doing pretty good; it’s been busy,” said Toni’s manager Adriana Bazan, who noted on Friday morning that 10 people had already come in to dine inhouse a few hours after the restaurant reopened.
All bars and restaurant staff who spoke to the Times-Standard said strict social-distancing measures will be enforced to ensure customer safety.
Not everyone will feel reassured, noted one local bartender, but regulars have already begun to occupy their old barstools — or, at least, the one next to the one where they used to sit.
“I know people are going to have their own thoughts, but this is all trial and error,” said Sarah Smith, bartender at AA Bar and Grill in Eureka. “We’re just glad we have the opportunity to open and see everyone again.”