Several Wichita restaurants will reopen for dine-in next week. But will the people come?
Gov. Laura Kelly gave the go-ahead for restaurants in Kansas to start reopening as part of the statewide plan she revealed on Thursday evening.
And many Wichita restaurants plan to take her up on that offer at the first moment they can. By Monday, the day Kelly’s stay-at-home order lifts, people will be able to start dining — with some limitations — in several restaurants across Wichita, where owners say they’re beyond ready to be back in business.
But other Wichita restaurateurs owners say that they’re going to take a more cautious approach and wait a while before inviting customers back in the dining room.
Meanwhile, diners are split on whether they feel safe eating out so soon, especially given that Kansas reported a record number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday. Some restaurant fans say they’ll be in their favorite eateries Monday when the doors reopen. Others, not so much.
“I’m missing my favorite restaurants so much, but I don’t feel comfortable going back just yet,” said local diner Cristy Harder. “I’ll continue carry out for a little longer.”
Back in business
Kelly’s Thursday order prohibits many types of businesses, including bars and gyms, from reopening until the start of her plan’s second phase, and the earliest that might happen is May 18.
But restaurants are okay to reopen for dine-in during the first phase, which starts Monday. Tables, however, will be limited to parties of 10 and must be kept 6 feet apart. Back-to-back booths will be allowed, but they must have some type of barrier separating them.
At Copper Oven, 2409 W. 13th, owner Phil Schoenhofer said that if the governor hadn’t made the allowance for restaurants, he likely would not have been able to stay in business. His restaurant, which has been closed since March 24, is not take-out friendly. His bank account is at zero and his savings are gone.
He plans to reopen Tuesday morning, he said, and he’s already altered the restaurant in anticipation. He’s planning to limit diners to 50 at a time and has relocated some of his tables to the basement, rearranging the dining room so he can spread people out.
His staff members, who were “upbeat and positive” at a Thursday meeting, are ready to get back to work, he said, and he’s going to require item to wear masks and gloves for at least 30 days. Of his staff of 21 full timers and a few part timers, all but one worker is coming back, he said.
He feels safe bringing welcoming people back into the restaurant, he said.
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“I think everybody has been so drummed into what they need to do,” he said. “Our customers are a lot of regulars, and they know what happened the week before the shutdown. I now they’ll follow the guidelines over here.”
YaYa’s Eurobistro at 8115 E. 21st St. closed on St. Patrick’s Day and was one of the first restaurants in town to voluntarily shut down at the start of the pandemic, said executive chef Jeremy Wade.
The restaurant has been closed ever since, but owner Ty Issa will open the doors on Tuesday, Wade said.
YaYa’s is big enough to space people out, he said, and the large patio seems like a safe spot for people to gather. The restaurant even plans to put live bands back on the patio starting next weekend
The restaurant is just not a carryout place, he said, and that wasn’t a solution for them. Being closed has put a strain on everyone involved with the restaurant.
“It’s been pretty tough for Ty,” he said. “That’s a big rent payment.”
He’ll bring back about two thirds of the staff at first, he said, and he’s reduced the menu by about 40 percent. The brunch buffet will be replaced by a la carte ordering. Staff members will wear gloves and cloth face masks, and two hand sanitizing stations have been added.
The state made the right call, Wade said.
“I look at what we’ve had in Kansas and look at the numbers, and I think this is something to be cautious about but not something to be overly worried about,” he said.
Among some of the other Wichita restaurants that have announced they’ll reopen next week are Jimmie’s Diner, Walt’s East, County Cafe, Great Harvest Bread, The Monarch and Headshots Bar & Grill.
Diner Cathy Anderson said she’s ready to regain some normalcy in her life, and that includes dining out.
“I am looking forward to sitting down in my favorite restaurant and pretending everything is normal,” she said. “I am sure the restaurants will take the necessary precautions, as will I.”
Not so fast
Other restaurant owners say they plan to take things a bit more slowly.
Andrew Gough, who owns Reverie Coffee Roasters at 2202 E. Douglas, said he won’t reopen the inside of his restaurant for another three or four weeks, though he’ll continue selling some of his bagged and bottled coffee products to-go until then.
He wants to be safe, he said, and he also wonders if people would even come.
“I know there will be a shortage of staff and customers...” he said. “We are currently focusing on larger orders for less people.”
Natasha Gandhi-Rue plans to keep the dining room closed at her restaurant, The Kitchen at 725 E. Douglas, but she’ll allow people to dine on her outdoor patio if they choose, she said. She won’t be sending servers outside to wait on them, though.
Inside, she’ll continue to focus on the to-go family meals that have gotten her through her shutdown. In fact, she said, those meals will likely become a big part of her business even after things return to normal.
Not only does she want to keep her staff safe, Gandhi-Rue said, but it’s also difficult to continually change her business model. Just like restaurants had adjust to reducing crowd sizes to 50 then 10 then zero in the early days of the pandemic, it’s going to take them a while readjust to letting crowds back in.
“I don’t want to jump the gun when we don’t need to,” she said.
Gandhi-Rue also is concerned about staffing, she said. Some restaurant employees aren’t going to want to come back because they’re getting unemployment and don’t need the money or because they don’t feel safe doing so yet.
Because of that, she said, she can’t predict when she’ll be ready to completely reopen her dining room.
“I think we’re going to have to just play it by ear.”
Stay updated
Most Wichita restaurants have not yet announced when they plan to resume dine-in service. We’ll continue to update the list at the top of the Dining with Denise Facebook page as they do.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 10:25 AM.
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