TEMPLE, Texas — Thanks to the governor's executive order GA-18, restaurants, movie theaters and malls will be allowed to reopen on Friday. As long as they limit their capacity to 25 percent of their listed occupancy.
For some local restaurants, the order is a godsend. For others, it has welcomed curveball into a constantly changing game.
La Riv Kitchen & Bar owner Vira Chudasma said she will do everything she can to be open on the May 1 date. Chudasma has tried multiple approaches to stay in business during the pandemic but none can compensate for an empty dining room.
"This restaurant is set up as a higher-end dining experience. We have to go back to our model because we can't service just on to go pasta and pizzas," Chudasma said. "I have 32 part-time and full-time employees. We have to open so we can bring out staff back."
But, opening dining back up may not be the best call for everyone.
Wings Pizza and Things in Temple has reconfigured from a community sports bar to a successful to-go and delivery business over the last few weeks. Owner Mike Dent said they had to make big changes before the new model hit its stride.
"We put in more refrigeration. We put in more warmers to keep the food warm. It's going to be really hard to do both. There is no way we can open up the whole restaurant with 25 percent," Dent said. "It's kind of a curveball they've thrown at us."
Unfortunately, opening back up is not as easy as just removing some tables and switching on the "open" sign. Dent said the state would require the restaurant to provide hand sanitation at the entrance, use disposable menus, keep tables six feet apart and make guests use separate ketchup and condiments. At the same time, they would be limited to 25 percent of their patrons.
Dent initially wanted to open on Friday but has to re-assess after doing the math.
"It could be we have to wait for 50 percent to where it makes more sense for us to do that," Dent said. "As hard as it is to chomp at the bit and want to open, I don't know if we can."
Other restaurants, like Bird Creek Burgers, have been able to provide food with a to-go model without having to stop paying staff, so they may be able to afford to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to fully reopening. Owner Jacob Bates said Monday that they do not plan to open doors at the end of the week so they can take a more cautious approach.
"We don’t want to speed through this process, as much as we want to get everything back as the way it was," Bates said.
Also on KCENTV.com: