Stanislaus County restaurants reopen dining rooms; new Modesto program sets standards
After a full two months of offering takeout only, Stanislaus County restaurants have been given the green light to reopen their dining rooms — but with new safety protocols and a new local program aimed at inspiring consumer confidence.
As of Wednesday, restaurants, one of the first industries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and shutdowns, can now offer dine-in options with the state’s approval of the county’s variance application. But eateries are expected to maintain social distancing, have servers wear masks and step-up hygiene and other safety procedures to continue to slow the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We’re open and we’re eating,” said Mike Nelson, owner of Smoky’s Neighborhood Grill on Bangs Avenue in north Modesto. It reopened Wednesday afternoon and had diners already eating inside an hour after the state’s approval was announced. “I’m excited. I want people in here, eating off of a plate versus out of a cardboard box.”
In preparation for restaurants reopening, Visit Modesto has launched the new voluntary program MoRestaurant Certified, which was created by the organization in conjunction with a group of local restaurant owners to create clear standards for reopened establishments. Restaurant owners in the city who agree to follow the standards will be added to an online list and be given a MoRestaurant Certified badge to display.
“We don’t just want people coming back to restaurants. We want people to feel good about coming back to restaurants and that the restaurants are keeping them and their staff safe as well,” said Todd Aaronson, CEO of Visit Modesto.
Modesto restaurants set own reopening standards
The standards were compiled by a group of around 10 Modesto restaurant owners, with support from Mayor Ted Brandvold. They include both staff and guest responsibilities, and in some cases have stricter cleaning standards than existing state and federal guidelines. Last week, the state issued industry guidance on what restaurants should do to ensure safe reopenings.
Both the Modesto program and state requirements emphasize allowing for 6 feet of distance between tables. Masks for servers and those close to guests are already required under the new CalOSHA guidelines, and the Modesto program stipulates staff have access to face coverings.
State guidelines call for restaurant operators to limit the number of patrons at a single table to a household unit or people who have asked to be seated together. All members of the party must be present before seating and hosts must bring the entire party to the table at one time
The MoRestaurant program designates staff to clean high-touch areas every 30 minutes including door handles, touchpads, food prep surfaces and restrooms. The local standards require for each shift that employees wear fresh laundered uniforms, wash hands and face upon arrival to work, change gloves every 30 minutes and not use their personal devices except on breaks.
Still, signing onto the MoRestaurant Certified program is nonbinding, and no physical checks beyond a promise to comply with the standards are required from restaurants to take part.
Thomas Lopes, the owner of Fuzio Universal Bistro in downtown Modesto who helped to head the MoRestaurant program, said the intent was to give diners a more palatable version of some of the new statewide protocols, instead of making them wade through the 12-page guidance document released by the state last week.
Participating restaurants can post the MoRestaurant Certified logo plus guidelines in their dining rooms. But Lopes said the best marketing will be good and safe service.
“One of the most important things we can do when we do reopen is to make sure we’re on point and make sure the guests see we have the safest atmosphere as possible,” he said.
Eateries adapt to social distancing
For most restaurant owners that means reducing capacity inside their dining rooms. California has made no set reopening capacity requirements beyond maintaining 6 feet of social distancing. So it is up to individual establishments to create the necessary space.
For Lopes, who plans to reopen Fuzio for normal dine-in lunch and dinner service starting Friday, that means rearranging seating and taking over the banquet room. The Twisted Pig Bar & Grill on Coffee Road in north Modesto also has gotten creative to create space.
Owner Randy Rocha, who also owns the Tap Room Pub & Grub in Village One, took out pool tables and is taking full advantage of his outdoor seating area to maintain capacity. But even with new requirements, for owners like Rocha who for the past eight weeks have had to completely overhaul their business model to takeout to stay afloat, the new state easing of restrictions is a welcome relief.
“I think everybody is going to open now; I don’t think people can not afford to reopen anymore,” said Rocha, who reopened the Tap Room Wednesday and will reopen Twisted Pig Thursday. “I think the public is going to support us and business should be good. We will all take safety precautions. But people are tired of sitting at home and want to be able to sit down to eat and want normalcy in life again.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 4:26 AM.
