Your server could be wearing a face mask if you choose to dine out next week.
Arizona restaurants have gotten the green light from Gov. Doug Ducey to reopen their dining rooms starting Monday, May 11.
Ducey stressed customers should limit their time in any establishment however, as Arizona's stay-at-home order will remain in place through Friday, May 15.
The governor's office also released a list of guidelines — which are recommendations, not regulations — from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Arizona Department of Health Services.
While some Valley restaurant owners said a mid-May return is "unrealistic," others have immediately begun making plans to reopen at limited capacity.
Businesses scheduled to reopen include independent restaurants and local chains, such as Postino, Gadzooks and Chompie's.
How restaurants are preparing to reopen
Before announcing the May 11 date, Ducey said he was weighing input from restaurant owners, such as Sam Fox, one of Phoenix's most prolific restaurateurs.
Many of the restaurants in Fox's company, which is a subsidiary of the Cheesecake Factory, are open for takeout and delivery service now, but Fox told The Arizona Republic he's already making preparations to reopen.
Larry White Jr., the owner of the local Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles chain, said he was excited to reopen Lo-Lo's locations in the Valley come May 11. Only the airport location will remain indefinitely closed. Because of the shutdown, the popular soul food joint closed some of its locations and switched to takeout and delivery at others.
"I think the biggest hurt from it all has been all of the people that has been out of work," White said. "All of the team members that we had to furlough. That was the biggest punch in the gut. We are so happy to get people back to work."
The safety of his guests and employees will be a priority, White said. Guests can expect servers to greet them with face masks and menus that are sanitized with each use. The restaurants will operate at about 50% capacity to try to maintain six feet of distance between parties, he added.
White said he already uses two cleaning companies, The Cleaner Part of Dirty Services and Sun Valley Property Maintenance, to clean the inside of the restaurants with a sanitation mister and the outside of the restaurants with a pressure wash every 72 hours.
Takeout and delivery services at Lo-Lo's will also continue because White also wants to respect customers who aren't ready to dine in, he said. The commission fee taken by third-party delivery, however, is making him consider creating his own delivery system.
"My honest opinion, I think takeaway and delivery is still going to be huge because there is a percentage of people out there that are still kinda leery or may have underlying health conditions, that may not want to come out," White said.
Juan Cruz said he will also reopen the dining room of International House of Food near downtown Phoenix on Monday. Since Arizona restaurants were ordered to shut down, Cruz said business has dropped about 90% and he's had to lay off most of his employees.
After receiving a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan last week, he's "able to breathe now," Cruz said. He said he's following guidelines shared by the governor's office: All employees will wear masks and the restaurant will switch to more disposable, single-use items, including menus, silverware and condiments.
There's a clear sneeze guard placed in front of the cash register and the dining room will operate at half capacity, he said.
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International House of Food will also continue to offer takeout and delivery. Cruz said he understands the COVID-19 situation is still uncertain and there's a possibility restaurants could be ordered to shut their dining rooms again.
"I know for a fact, talking about the economy, we’re taking a big hit," Cruz said. "It’s going to be painful if we take another hit. Some restaurants won’t survive. We truly hope it doesn’t happen."
He won't be the only one welcoming diners in again.
Grant Crone of MMPR Marketing confirmed the restaurants under Upward Projects — Postino, Windsor, Churn, Federal Pizza and Joyride Taco House — will reopen next week.
He said the same is planned for the restaurants under Common Ground Culinary, which includes The Collins, The Macintosh and Sweet Provisions. Charlotte Shaff of The Media Push confirmed Chompie's would also reopen all in-restaurant dining.
Why some owners are waiting to reopen
Prior to Ducey's announcement, chefs such as Charleen Badman, co-owner of FnB in Scottsdale, said she would need at least two weeks to reopen after completely closing the restaurant.
"There's nothing in our restaurant," Badman told The Republic. "My refrigerators are unplugged. We have to start all over again and the supply chain needs to start up again."
Magaly Saenz operates Tres Leches Cafe with her partner and founder, José "ET" Rivera. Social distancing would be difficult at the cafe located on Van Buren Street, which has closed indefinitely, she said.
For now, they plan to not allow sit-in service there while focusing on their new south Phoenix location, which operates as a drive-thru only.
"We noticed our drive-thru location — which is much safer — is just as successful," Saenz said. "It has less overhead costs and we’re able to keep everybody safe there. I think whenever they decide to reopen the economy, if customers don't feel safe, they’re not going to go."
Since the pandemic begun, Tres Leches Cafe has placed a plexiglass shield and hand sanitizer at the drive-thru windows. Employees must also wear masks, she said.
Saenz added that she and Rivera are considering whether to close the Van Buren Street location permanently and open a second drive-thru in a new spot. It depends on how the COVID-19 crisis plays out, Saenz said. They have bills pending, but fortunately on Wednesday, they received their Payment Protection Program loan, she said.
"It’s really hard for us — that’s our baby," Saenz said. "It’s gonna be a big change, but something we have to consider for the long run. They can reopen everything today, but that doesn’t mean the virus is going anywhere."
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"We just have to adapt," she continued. "That's the life of a small business owner — adapt to your circumstances to survive."
Chef Chrysa Robertson said she would not reopen her restaurant, Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale. Her cooks work in close proximity so social distancing isn't possible, she said. While her employees could wear masks, there are no requirements for guests to wear masks, and they would have to pull their masks down anyway to eat, she noted.
She listed off other variables she can't control: Asymptomatic people dining in, air conditioning moving particles around, people waiting in line for the restroom
"I totally understand how people are worried about their finances and their business and want to get back to work," Robertson said. "I just think it’s foolhardy to jump ahead like this."
What guidelines do restaurants have?
On Monday, Ducey's office published a list of safety measures recommended by the CDC and the Department of Health Services.
But the recommendations don't offer strict guidance, such as how many people are allowed in a dining establishment, said Aaron Pool, founder and co-owner of Gadzooks, a local chain serving enchiladas and soup.
"It's pretty vague," he said.
The suggested measures restaurants should take when reopening include:
- Maintaining physical distancing, including limiting parties to no more than 10.
- Operating with reduced occupancy and capacity.
- Limiting areas conducive to congregations.
- Continuing to provide delivery or curbside service.
- Implementing symptom screening for employees prior to the start of their shift.
- Consider offering masks to wait and host staff.
The CDC suggests ways to safely check employees' temperature.
"We worked with restaurants on these recommendations and their feedback is incorporated," wrote Patrick Ptak, a spokesperson for Ducey, in an email statement. "Restaurant owners know best how to implement these recommendations for their customers and employees, including additional steps to take, and we are deferring to them."
Supplies, such as masks and thermometers, are additional expenditures for businesses that may already be down on revenue. Supply-chain issues could also affect businesses trying to reopen safely. Ptak said the state will not be procuring these resources for businesses, but has been compiling vendors that can provide these resources.
Other guidelines, such as washing hands or not sneezing into hands, are "low-hanging fruit" that were normal for restaurants even before the pandemic, Pool said.
While traffic at Gadzooks has dropped from dining room closures, he thinks the restaurant's counter-service model has helped them adapt more easily than a full-service restaurant, he said.
Margarita and beer sales have also increased, and Pool hopes alcohol to-go can continue after the pandemic.
Gadzooks is scheduled to reopen its dining room on May 11. It will operate at about 50% occupancy and maintain 6 feet of distance in the line to order food, Pool said. Staff will wear masks and hand silverware to customers, rather than letting customers grab silverware themselves.
"Other than that it's really Gadzooks as normal," Pool said.
Reach the reporter at Priscilla.Totiya@azcentral.com. Follow @priscillatotiya on Twitter and Instagram.
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