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As anxious as Mrs. Tabby and I are to get out to a restaurant, we don’t think we’d enjoy being served by masked staff, so we are delaying.
We don’t do “high end” dining, but it seems that in our small town (west of Fort Worth) only a few of the restaurants have reopened under the current restrictive rules. Most of the restaurants are relatively small in space, so operating at 25% capacity is probably still not economically viable. I was amused to see one of the larger diners in town that also has a large parking lot repurposed a substantial portion of the parking lot for “patio dining,” a feature they had not previously provided, and that increased the diner’s capacity so that re-opening became economically worthwhile.
We have learned however that at least two previously very popular local restaurants are not going to re-open at all.
I am hoping that this all fades–the thermometers and masks–as each “stage” becomes a thing of the past. But I absolutely believe that a lot of small restaurants will never reopen. Their margins are too tight, and many would have simply been pushed off the precipice per the amount of time they were shut down completely.
We don’t do lots of fine dining, but we felt this was a special occasion. They were open. My husband and I debated which sorts of restaurants will more easily weather the storm: fine dining or high turnover. Each has different disadvantages. All I really know is that I’m very grateful I don’t own a restaurant or bar.
My wife and I rarely eat out because we’re both good cooks and enjoy cooking as kind of a therapy or stress relief. However, we do want to have the ability to eat out when we feel like it, so we want all restrictions lifted. So far, our governor (SC) has only “allowed” the reopening of restaurants with outdoor seating, which not all in our area have.
I’m still not eating out until I get a haircut from my barber . . .
Salons are more tightly restricted here than restaurants in stage one, but some of them have opened as well. I think they aren’t supposed to do so quite yet, but I’m not telling on anyone!!! ;)
While we were looking for a restaurant to go to, someone told us that one of the hairdressers was auctioning off slots, and a slot’s cost had already gotten up to $140. I can’t speak to this from personal experience though. I’ve heard about salons second hand only.
Since I’ve posted articles about being on a plane and eating out, if I get my hair cut, I’ll write about that, too.
Now that you mention it, I might not eat out until my husband gets a haircut. I asked my lovely hair lady to come to the house, and she did, and I paid her for the two haircuts I’ve missed and then some and got her the cupcakes her family loves from our local superlative bakery. I’m a good cook, but I’m pretty tired of my own cooking and it’s all starting to taste the same. The local take out – with the exception of chowda and pizza – doesn’t travel well. It could be awhile here in NH as outdoor dining has some downsides – like predictability. It’s been a really wet spring and It looks to stay that way. How will a restaurant deal with sporadic summer showers – send people (Staff and customers) home and throw out prepped food? Seems they aren’t thinking this thing through. The sidewalk bistros people are romanticizing about are typically extensions of their indoor capacity. Not in lieu of. It’s much like our Gov limiting hair salon openings to cut (not clear if you can wash) and color only (I guess you can wash after). No foils, no blow dry……. Tough luck blonds.
That is… impossible for me to follow. IF you get a cut and color, you’ve already been exposed–both ways–to whatever virus is sitting in the chair. No blow dry? They think the virus will be blown around or something? Strong virus.
It’s a mystery – as in many things in this state. As in other areas, the experience of the disease is found substantially in residential nursing facilities. And fatalities 95%+ in the very old and frail. So 100% of the population- 90% of which is healthy – have lost their economy. Except the gubmint employees. Call me cynical. The Gov’s parents live in my neighborhood. I’m afraid to see them now. (Everyone walks a lot in the ordinary case even now.) Don’t know what I’d say to them other than Hello.
I will be buying furniture this week. It is important to keep the economy moving.
Restaurants are not open for dining-in yet. But I would love eat outside and there has been a move to allow restaurants to be able to put tables outside. When they do, I will be on it immediately.
Good on you – it will be a nice lunch or dinner. Watch the sun go down and enjoy the view. You won’t have to worry about rain on your parade.
We have had three meals out since the ban was lifted Friday, at two different local places. All three were breakfast. At each place the condiments were all in throw away containers. At one place the staff wore masks, but not at the other. One place (with masks) they served coffee in styrofoam cups and gave picnic packs for cutlery; at the other place it was the usual mugs, plates and silverware. The two counties where the restaurants are have had 16 and 5 cases, respectively, with no hospitalizations or deaths.
We will go out again this weekend. I will be curious to see if the restaurants here are not uniform. The stores certainly were not. Some staff wore masks. Some did not. None minded me. (I don’t wear one.)
“Baby girl?” Weird.
Funny. It didn’t feel weird to me. Though I am definitely not a baby girl!!! I’m on the opposite side of the hill. But… she’d slid further down it than me. :)
I went out to eat in Tennessee, but I am definitely keeping my eye on Austin, Texas as that’s where I currently own my home. I thought this story on the local channel there about restaurants starting to open up was interesting, though the trepidation expressed about “joining in” will stop the recovery of the economy if it is too widely shared. (I don’t fault people for going slowly, even though I’m not.)
I found the Austin mayor’s thoughts especially interesting as he said the penalty for not wearing a mask is that you are going to make other people die. That’s the penalty. (Local law enforcement cannot impose a fine or jail time per the intercession of the state.)
I watched him in another interview say that he would not be going out any time soon, and he extended the “lock down” order for Austin, though that’s obviously now just a request for compliance. Outside of city run institutions like pools and libraries, he can’t continue to interfere with commerce.
That can be seen as good or bad per your perspective.
Personally, anything this particular mayor likes makes me want to do the opposite, but that’s my own irrational reaction to him after years of living under his rule. ;)
I also watched interviews with restaurant owners in Austin who said 25% capacity does not sustain their businesses. Without curbside takeout, it’s not possible to make that model work for any period of time. Still, it was nice to see some people leaving their houses and just having a margarita.
I do, actually, love that city.
Lois, I just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed your posts and comments during this ordeal. Your writing is excellent, you have fresh ways of looking at things that that stimulate interesting conversations, you’re diplomatic and you have a great sense of humor. We’re lucky to have you on Ricochet! (And I brought you this shiny new apple 🍎).
If you drive down the road a bit to Blount County, most of the restaurants are open.
I’m blushing. But I love apples! And I’m a teacher! Soooo… squuueeeeeee!!!!! :)
Seriously.
Thank you.
That’s Maryville? Are they good? What’s your favorite?
I ordered 4 bookcases at $258 each and paid for them. They will be delivered in 2-3 weeks.
There’s an Aubrey’s, Puleo’s, and a Calhoun’s there. And a lot of national chain restaurants like Texas Road House and O’Charley’s.
This is my fourth visit to my favorite breakfast place. No masks in sight.
Returning toward normalcy.
Inaugural restaurant dining experience Monday lunch at a diner in town. Tables spaced, single use menus, and the strangest sight – empty table surfaces – no table accessories (salt and pepper shakers, sugar and other sweetener packages, coffee creamer, ketchup and mustard bottles). Server brought single use packages of such things just after she brought us our food. Oh, and servers were not wearing masks, which I was happy to see – my server is a real human being and not a bandit :-) . Delicious food. Flavor possibly enhance by two months’ absence. Just a yummy freshly grilled burger and fresh hot fries.
Returned to the same diner this morning (Tuesday) to test out resuming our normal Tuesday morning breakfast with a group of us retired guys from church. Only 3 of the normal 12 guys wanted to come. Our server (we have the same server every week) said that if more than 6 of us come we could sit no more than 6 at a table. The three of us who came had a great long conversation among ourselves and with our server. She said the diner is still not filling to even its reduced capacity except on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
I found it very refreshing to enjoy some normal meals outside the house and to talk with the diner server we had not seen in two months.
I totally don’t understand this, but I say good for you for living!!! I’m glad you liked your meal.
How can a restaurant stay in business without filling it up?
Short answer: they can’t.
That’s the thing. If people don’t start engaging with the economy, the economy will collapse. These places don’t have enough cash to outlast fear. That is not to say that people don’t need to be smart about what they are doing or cautious about what they are doing, but I am getting very frustrated with my fellow Americans who really do seem to prefer to stay inside their homes, whether or not they are in a “hot zone.”
The store that I mentioned at the top of my article? Already closed again now except on weekends. Why? There isn’t enough business to keep it open. It’s not that people aren’t buying things. There are a lot of reasons for this, I suppose, but I think the biggest one is fear.
My fear of what is happening to small businesses massively overrides my fear of Covid at this point… at least for my particular age/health demographic. And I don’t want Congress to authorize another ten ga-zillion dollars to try and “rescue” people because I know the government cannot sustain that spending, and people will stay inside forever if they think they can. I want people to be smart but to live. I want society to save itself.
For probably the first time in my life I was pleased to encounter a wait at my favorite diner this morning. It means more people are willing to get out. My regular server said they have had more customers each day. They still can’t succeed long-term on the legally mandated reduced capacity, but it is encouraging to see that customer demand is returning.
That is good news indeed. Excellent!!!!