How are restaurants and venues dealing with the coronavirus in Modesto, valley?
As coronavirus continues to spread across the state, country and world, Central Valley business owners are grappling with how to respond at home to the growing pandemic.
The swiftly moving crisis has begun changing daily life for valley residents. The first two cases in the county were diagnosed on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced recommendations that all non-essential gatherings be limited to no more than 250 people. Then on Thursday, Stanislaus County Public Health Officer Dr. Julie Vaishampayan prohibited indoor and outdoor gatherings with more than 1,000 people — effectively banning large-scale events starting Monday and lasting until March 31.
A slew of national and local cancellations and closures have followed from Disneyland to basically all professional sports and many school districts. Amid all of this, valley restaurants are figuring out how to handle the crisis while assuring customers that they’re taking the threat seriously. They’re also hoping to encourage people to continue to enjoy their establishments.
Locally, the Gallo Center for the Arts — the region’s largest indoor performing arts venue with two theaters that seat 1,200 and 440 people, respectively — announced on Thursday it was rescheduling all of its remaining March performances. Those include sold-out shows by Josh Turner and Bonnie Raitt.
The State Theatre also decided to close through March.
In Stanislaus County, Vaishampayan said at this time they are not yet recommending people avoid all public places — save for those people in high-risk groups. According to the CDC, that includes people over the age of 60, and those with underlying health conditions including heart or lung disease, diabetes and a weakened immune system.
“At this time, public health is not saying it’s time to avoid public places but we continue emphasizing following the recommendations for people at higher risk,” she said.
The recommendation for everyone is social distancing, so if you are out and about ask to be seated at least 6-feet from other patrons.
Restaurants making adjustments
But you gotta eat. And many people locally are still choosing to eat out, so restaurants are adapting to keep them coming.
At Table 26 in Turlock, the Sunday breakfast buffet has been canceled and replaced with served breakfast. The news was posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page March. 6. The upscale eatery reopened in February after renovations and updates from its new owner, who also owns Oakdale’s Firenze Ristorante.
District Manager Ray Ashak said the restaurant decided to pull its brunch buffet out of an abundance of caution last weekend. It had been running for a few weeks.
“With a buffet there’s a higher chance of exposure. People are touching the handles of spoons and putting them back. We want to make sure everyone gets a clean knife and fork and everything when they sit down,” Ashak said. “We want people to feel safe when they are here.”
At both Table 26 and Firenze, Ashak said the staff is performing extra cleaning procedures. Those include everything from wiping down the doors and tables, salt and pepper shakers and menus between guest visits. He said people have asked about its sanitation practices, but so far they haven’t seen much if any drop-off in business.
In Modesto at the popular downtown eatery Skewers Kabob House, manager Kristin O’Brien said notes have gone out in their employee newsletter stressing the importance of personal hygiene and hand washing. They’ve also stepped up cleaning efforts.
While they’ve not seen a decline in people dining out yet, they’ve had a few of their scheduled catering events cancel.
At Food Fix Butcher & Baker in downtown Modesto, chef and owner Hank Olson said the restaurant already has strict cleaning protocols and had meetings with staff about hygiene. They said common surfaces, like tables and communal sauce bottles, are being wiped down regularly.
For restaurant employees, like Food Fix front of house manager Kendra MacKillop, the moment requires balancing the need to keep customers safe and worrying about their own livelihoods. So far she said she has noticed a small slowdown in sales this week. Still she’s taking it in stride, as are the rest of the 25-person staff.
“I feel like, you can sit here and spend every minute worrying if it can happen or take it day-by-day and do what you can in the moment,” she said. “I’m just taking it one step at a time. Every day is a little different. I just want to make sure I am making my staff and customers safe.”
My advice? If you’re going out to eat anytime soon please tip generously. I’m talking more than 20 percent because hourly wage workers, especially those dependent on gratuities for their incomes, could be in a world of pain soon. So if you can afford to eat out, you can afford to give a little extra to the people who are working hard to serve you despite potential dangers.
Or order gift certificates from your favorite restaurants and businesses right now to use at a later date. This will give them a needed influx of cash while not taxing their resources or exposing their employees. Realize that for many of these establishments, any dip in sales could be catastrophic to them and their staff financially. If you want your favorite eatery to still be open when this is all over, pay it forward now.
Also, please consider your friendly neighborhood Chinese restaurant when deciding where to eat. I’ve called around to a number of local Chinese food places and they were all reluctant to talk, for fear of stigmatization. But they’ve all seen decreases. I hate that I have to say this, but there is absolutely no truth to the insane — and let’s be honest — racist myth that eating Chinese food will somehow give you the coronavirus. Zero. So enjoy that chow mein and pork fried rice all you want.
Gallo, State Theatre, Turlock impacted
As for area entertainment venues, the Gallo Center posted a note about its postponements on its homepage. Tickets for March shows will be honored at a later date, or patrons can request a refund or gift certificate to use for a different future show. The center has been experiencing an “extremely high call volume,” so they ask for people’s patience in making arrangements and getting refunds.
Earlier in the week, the Gallo Center posted a note on the website emphasizing its stepped up cleaning efforts and saying, “For now, the show goes on.” But two days later, that all changed. Gallo Center Director of Marketing Doug Hosner said they hadn’t noticed a significant change in attendance before the decision to postpone shows was made.
Downtown Modesto’s historic State Theatre, a 550-seat movie theater which just opened an attached second 25-seat small theater called The Jewel, also has decided to close through the end of the month, according to an email from Executive Director Kirstie Boyett.
Earlier this week, the State had sent out an email to members and posted on its Facebook page that staff was performing enhanced cleanings and sanitation between all shows — much like the Gallo Center had. Boyett said they were feeling the pinch of people staying home. She said ticket sales were “definitely down.” But now all screenings are canceled.
The Turlock Community Theatre’s March 22 show, Catapult, has been canceled and its Tam-Tam Talent Show has been postponed until next season. The March 27 Lewis Black show has been rescheduled to Oct. 15, Managing Director Kit Casey said Friday.
Performance arts venues also offer gift certificates and memberships, which would be a great way to support them while they are dark. They need you now more than ever.
It’s been a tumultuous time for everyone, with changes coming every day — if not sooner. We’re all feeling more stressed. If you’re going out to any of our region’s great restaurants or other businesses soon, be vigilant, smart and extra nice to the staff.
Remember you are choosing to be there, they have to for work. So if you feel the slightest bit sick, stay home. You never know if your waitress is caring for her elderly grandfather. Or that clerk has a child with asthma at home. Radical empathy — especially for those most vulnerable and financially strapped — is what we need from everyone. You’re never going to feel bad that you did too much to keep someone else in need safe. And, of course, wash your hands.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 3:46 PM.
