Fresno restaurants face more COVID-19 hurdles as county falls back into purple tier
As California officials reintroduced several mandates meant to slow down the state’s surge in COVID-19 cases, Fresno restaurant owners on Tuesday said they are bracing for the impact on business.
Fresno, Merced and Kings counties have been demoted into purple tier — the most restrictive tier — for businesses opening under California’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy.”
That means restaurants that have been operating more than a month under capacity restrictions for indoor dining must now only serve food outside, which is considered safer during the pandemic.
Mad Duck Brewing’s executives met early Tuesday to hash out plans for the future, according to owner Alex Costa. He said in a text message he expects a “dramatic” effect on the business, but to what extent is still difficult to quantify this early.
“The colder and wetter it gets the more difficult this will become,” he said. “We are investing some of our remaining resources in efforts to help winterize our available patio space in order to make our guests as comfortable as possible and provide our Ducks (employees) with stable employment as we move into the holidays.”
The eatery and pub employs more than 100 people at three locations and got help earlier this year from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.
Costa said while he is concerned about his business, he worries more about employees who need to pay their bills. “If sales dwindle, I imagine we will have staff who look elsewhere in order to make ends meet,” he said.
The state’s announcement on Monday also came quickly, giving owners less than 24 hours of notice to shut down indoor service. Past efforts gave them several days of lead time.
Some restaurant owners remain optimistic, despite the changes.
The Train Depot owners remained confident on Tuesday they were sitting in a good position, all things considered, according to spokesperson Josh Escovedo, whose parents own the eatery.
Customers have been willing to wait longer, dine outdoors and take orders to-go during the pandemic. He said the delivery side of the business has skyrocketed
“We’ve been here and we’ve done it once before,” he said about serving outdoors. “Our customers have just shown they are the most loyal bunch.”
He said the diner has been using parking lot spaces under a tent for outdoor service and leaning on delivery sales. Those are sales they didn’t envision being the focus of their business.
“We don’t know what to expect,” he said. “When you’re dealing outside of your comfort zone, there’s a level of stress.”
The diner employs about 20 people and has avoided layoffs, Escovedo said. They too used federal Paycheck Protection Program loans, but don’t plan to get more even if they become available.
Finding ways to evolve a business from month-to-month under constantly changing regulations related to the coronavirus is a reality many eateries are facing, according to Chuck Van Fleet, owner of Vino Grill and Spirits and president of the Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association.
Under the red tier, Van Fleet said, he had brought on employees to run the online sales, but keeping them around when business is hurt without indoor sales is unlikely. His employees may see fewer hours if the purple tier persists.
“We never thought of having a huge delivery and to-go business when we opened,” he said. “What keeps me up at night is what’s going to happen to employees?”
Van Fleet said owners will also soon be dealing with the minimum wage increase in January, when the California rate goes up to $14 an hour.
California’s leaders did not waive the increase this year despite the urging from business groups who say the pandemic has been hard enough.
Clovis restaurants
Old Town Waffle manager Mercy Mercado said she supported the mandate from Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying she hopes to keep the diners in her Clovis eatery safe.
“I hope this thing is going to be over very soon. It’s been hard for everybody,” she said. “But, we’re going to be OK. Everybody is going to be OK. We’re going to make it.”
Clovis diner Tom Gritton was less optimistic as he ate in Sandy’s Country Junction while wearing a hat supporting President Donald Trump.
“It’s just stupid,” he said. “It’s fear mongering at its worst.”
Purple tier rules
Here is a list of businesses and activities that will still be permitted in counties as they move to the purple tier. The state’s face-covering requirements apply for all of them, with very limited exceptions.
- Personal care services, which include nail salons, tattoo parlors, piercing shops, estheticians and a number of similar types of businesses, can remain open with modifications that include vigorous sanitation standards. These businesses were newly allowed into the purple tier on Oct. 20.
- Outdoor playgrounds and recreational facilities may remain open, with no eating or drinking allowed at playgrounds.
- Hair salons and barbershops can continue to cut, style and color hair. These businesses were given the green light to stay open regardless of tier level at the same time state officials first announced the tier system, which took effect Sept. 1.
- Retail stores as well as malls and shopping centers can stay open, but must halve their maximum capacities to 25% from the red tier’s 50%. Malls must close food courts and common gathering areas.
- Outdoor-based entertainment venues, such as mini golf or go-karts, can remain open.
- Cardrooms can remain open outdoors, as was the case in the red tier.
- Professional sports may continue to play with no fans in the stands.
- Hotels and other lodging can remain open with modifications, though those with fitness centers inside must close those.
- Restaurants’ outdoor dining areas may remain open, and fast food establishments can keep drive-thrus open. Bars, breweries and distilleries that do not serve meals must remain closed, as had been the case in the red tier.
- Drive-in movie theaters can stay open.
- Outdoor museums and zoos may remain open.
- So-called “limited” services can remain open. State health officials define these as businesses that do not typically require close customer contact or large crowds. Examples given by the state health department include laundromats, auto repair shops, contractors, electricians and plumbers.
- Critical infrastructure, such as grocery stores, gas stations and banks, remain open as they have throughout California’s stay-at-home order.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 1:21 PM.
