Fewer dining out as coronavirus fear spreads. Here’s what Fresno restaurants are doing
Fewer people are eating out at some local restaurants as fears over coronavirus are changing the way people live their lives.
Several restaurants are reporting slower than normal mealtimes in the last few days.
Wednesday night dinner business was down 60% at Vino Grille & Spirits at Champlain Drive near Shepherd Avenue. It was the first time the restaurant had seen a decrease since this outbreak started, said owner Chuck Van Fleet.
Some restaurants had similar stories.
At Italian restaurant Bella Pasta at Herndon and Palm avenues, for example, business was down significantly this week, after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a pandemic and one person in Fresno County tested positive after being on a Grand Princess cruise ship.
The big picture
As for the overall picture? Van Fleet, president of the Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association, said: “We’ve seen a little bit of a dip here and there, but it’s not been consistent.”
And the coronavirus scare doesn’t seem to be affecting every restaurant. Diners in Fresno are reporting that sushi restaurants and some big chains are busy.
The real test will be this weekend, when restaurateurs will be waiting to see if customers come out for the days that are typically the busiest, Van Fleet said.
A recent survey found that more than three in 10 consumers say they “plan on leaving the house less often, not go to restaurants as often or not order food or beverages at away-from-home venues as often.” The survey by Technomic, a research firm focused on the food service industry, was conducted on March 2, before many events started getting canceled due to coronavirus fears.
Decrease in business
At Bella Pasta, business started dropping “just this past week, just when the media is hitting it as hard as they can and people are getting scared,” said owner Fabian Rodriguez.
So far, he hasn’t had to cut any worker shifts, though he is having some workers come in a hour later than normal. Instead of those workers prepping for the day’s meals during that hour, Rodriguez is doing the prep work himself.
A decrease in business affects other local companies too, he noted. He’s not ordering as much food, alcohol and paper products from vendors because he doesn’t need it.
It’s “scary,” Rodriguez said, but it’s not disastrous.
“It hurts the short term,” he said. “The long term is not going to hurt you.”
He’s also a real estate agent, a second job that can put money back into the restaurant business when needed.
Is it safe to eat out?
Social distancing is an effective way for people to protect themselves, said Joe Prado, Fresno County’s community health division manager. That means “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance … from others when possible,” according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC says to stay 6 feet away from others when possible. The World Health Organization says keep 3 feet between you and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Given all that potentially confusing information — is it safe to dine out or not?
The CDC doesn’t directly address this question and a Fresno County Public Health official didn’t respond to our inquiry.
But food safety expert Benjamin Chapman, a professor at North Carolina State University, told USA Today: “As things stand today, based on the information we have from the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) and information from local and state public health officials, I don’t see any basis for recommendations that people not dine out.”
However, if you are at higher risk (meaning you are an older adult or have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease) and COVID-19 starts spreading in your community, the CDC recommends staying home as much as possible and considering ways to get food brought to your house.
Coronavirus is not thought to be spread through food, but instead from person-to-person through respiratory droplets, according to the CDC. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their face, but it is not thought to be the main way it spreads, the CDC said.
‘No-contact’ delivery
Nationwide, some Chinese restaurants have been reporting a drop in business for weeks.
But at Shanghai Chinese Cuisine on Blackstone Avenue in Fresno, it was business as usual until the last three days.
Lunchtime is normally busy, said Pauline Dunn, a partner in the restaurant, said Thursday.
“You can see it dramatically went down,” she said. “The lunchtime is a lot less, more likely more than half of the lunch crowd is not here.”
Dinnertime business has slowed a little too, but not as much she said.
One bright spot? Take out orders are up.
Some restaurant delivery services are offering no-contact delivery.
Postmates, for example, now gives customers the option of asking drivers to leave the food at the door. Grocery store delivery service Instacart also recently added a “leave at my door” delivery option.
Sanitizing, spreading out tables
Restaurants already have cleaning procedures in place, but many are amping them up.
Shanghai has hand sanitizing stations at the restaurant and Dunn is encouraging people to wash their hands in the restroom with soap and water before eating.
And those cloths used to wipe down tables? Instead of wiping down multiple tables with one cloth, Dunn is having her employees dip the cloth in sanitizing fluid between every table to make sure germs aren’t spread from one table to another.
“My employees, they think I’m a clean freak because every single table they wash, they have to wash the towel,” she said. “We are doing the best to make sure our customers and our employees are well protected.”
At Vino Grille & Spirits, Van Fleet is removing nine tables and spreading out the rest so customers don’t have to sit so close together. And they’re increasing the potency of the cleaning products its night crew uses to clean.
Some restaurants in town that have buffets aren’t letting customers serve themselves, but using servers to put the food on the customers’ plates, he said.
So far, restaurants are dealing with decreases in business. But if more customers stay away, some places could end up shutting down, Van Fleet said.
“The biggest thing is, if you’re nervous, order it to go,” he said. “If you feel comfortable, come in, sit down and still have a dining experience.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
