Coronavirus closed your favorite Modesto area restaurant? Here’s the best way to help
So your business has made the tough but right choice to shut down after staff members test positive for coronavirus. Now what?
More and more businesses across Stanislaus County and the Central Valley are being faced with the choice of shutting down again or staying open as the COVID-19 outbreak in the county continues to spike and employees are getting sick.
Some have chosen to hide the infections, keep inviting in unwitting customers and hope for the best. Other have done the safest thing and shut down, told their customers why and waited until it’s clear their business is virus free.
In about the past week, Modesto’s Redwood Cafe, La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant and Food Fix Butcher & Baker have all made the call to be transparent. Make no mistake, for businesses already rocked by this global pandemic, it’s not as easy decision. But it is the best way to build public trust and ensure customers come back when all of this is over.
But the choice to temporarily close from staff exposures, on top of the new forced closure of restaurant dining rooms across Stanislaus County, has made staying profitable for small local businesses a precarious puzzle. Many restaurants that can are creating additional outdoor seating to make up for the loss of inside capacity.
For Yaser Herrera, whose family owns and runs the three La Parrilla restaurants in the region, it was both a hard and an easy choice. The locations in Modesto on McHenry Avenue and Oakdale Road, and Crossroads shopping center in Riverbank all closed last Tuesday after one employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The restaurant announced the news on its Facebook page first thing Tuesday morning. Reservations are closed for the next two weeks, and Herrera said the locations will reopen “when we feel it is safe to do so.”
“For our family, we constantly think about how we would want to be treated if we were staff or customers of a business — we would want to know!” Herrera wrote in an email. “We’ve all heard of other businesses that have chosen to stay quiet and that’s on them. We think that being open and transparent is important, as it shows to our staff and our customers how much we value their safety and well-being. For us, it’s a no-brainer. Do right by the community and they’ll do right by you.”
COVID-19 case transparency stops rumors
Like La Parrilla’s management, the Redwood Cafe owners made the choice to be open about an employee testing positive and their decision to shut down again. The fine dining establishment in northwest Modesto closed down entirely in March at the start of the coronavirus closures because of the pandemic, instead of remaining open for takeout and delivery.
The restaurant had just reopened May 26 for dine-in service. A month later, on June 26, management posted on Facebook about closing down again for a minimum of two weeks because one employee tested positive. Chris Hull, a manager at Redwood Cafe, said the decision to be transparent is the only way to head off rumors — and the right thing to do.
“We closed down because that’s what should be done,” Hull said in an email. “As per transparency, in the day and age of social media, if you don’t disclose, someone will for you. So why not have the info straight from the horse’s mouth. We don’t have anything to hide.”
Food Fix Butcher & Baker in downtown Modesto took the extra cautious step of closing down after two employees had third- and possible second-hand exposures to people who had tested positive for COVID-19. Chef and owner Hank Olson made the announcement on Facebook Tuesday that they would shut down immediately to allow all of its employees to be tested, and reopen when they felt it was safe.
With all these businesses made the tough but necessary call, they’re still left losing out on revenue. So what do they say the public can do to help them and make sure they’re able to come back? And what help from the government is still available for those who are struggling because of the ongoing pandemic?
First, keep sending encouragement to the places that do the right thing. Tell them you appreciate their transparency, commitment to public health and vow to return when things are safe.
For restaurants in general, who now are switching to an outside dining/takeout/delivery model, use whatever service you feel most comfortable with. And check to see if the restaurant offers its own delivery, outside of the third-party apps (which take a big cut of any profits for themselves).
Hull suggests people also continue to buy gift certificates, a good way to pay it forward until a business can reopen or return to full service.
At Redwood Cafe, to adhere to a strict decontamination procedure, the restaurant won’t have anyone available to take calls or gift orders until July 9. He said it was difficult to get access to COVID-19 testing for its staff, and would like to see more assistance for businesses where workers have become ill.
Federal coronavirus aid still available
Katy Winders, director of the Valley Sierra Small Business Development Center, commends businesses who are transparent about worker illnesses. And said there are still programs out there to help.
“I think transparency is important, the general public wants to see that the businesses are being proactive and being safe,” she said. “Small businesses have to be extra vigilant with their polices. It’s very important to consumers that they’re really trying to be careful.”
She also said there are still government-backed programs out there that can help. The most famous, or infamous given its initial confusing roll out, is the Paycheck Protection Program. The federal program officially ended June 30, with some $130 billion in unspent funds. The Senate and House have since passed an extension, and once signed by the president it would allow businesses with under 500 employees to apply for loans through Aug. 8.
The Small Business Administration also still offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Like PPP, they’re for small businesses with less than 500 employees and offer a 30-year term at 3.75%. But, if you apply, be prepared for a wait because Winders said the SBA has been “inundated” with requests. Her center can help walk business owners through the process.
And if you’d rather delay paying some taxes, small businesses can sign up for the Small Business Relief Payment Plans for Sales and Use Tax, which delays payment of those taxes until July 31, 2021.
But there’s always more the local, state and federal government can do to help small businesses make it through this unprecedented period. Herrera said he would like to see the government, particularly the federal government, create incentives for businesses who have positive cases and shut down.
“Otherwise, businesses will be tempted to continue to try and keep things quiet, or worst still, not close at all! We should make sure everyone is doing the right thing and we hope the federal government will step up and help businesses in this situation,” Herrera said. “The reality is with growing case numbers and no vaccine in sight, this is going to be the new normal for awhile.”
This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
