Local Leaders and Restaurateurs React to Lift on Outdoor Dining Ban

A roller coaster ofcoronavirus regulations has crippled the industry

By Terry Miller

Governor Gavin Newsom lifted the regional stay-at-home order Monday morning and subsequently Los Angeles County officials said the county will follow the state’s COVID-19 restrictions by the end of the week. Outdoor dining can resume with occupancy limits starting Friday, when the county issues a new health officer order that will also rescind hours of operation restrictions for non-essential businesses that was in place between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said at a Monday press conference following Newsom’s announcement.

Exactly what the new restaurant guidelines are remains to be seen, but restaurants are generally optimistic. L.A. County health officials suspended outdoor dining just before Thanksgiving, “prompting immediate outcry from pandemic-battered restaurateurs and pushback from residents and some politicians. Legal action since then has aimed to overturn the order,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Some restaurants acrossthe state defied the order, harking back to prohibition era speakeasies. Theanger and frustration on behalf of the restaurant owners and managers from someresidents is palatable.

As this newspaper pointedout in early December, “It is the worst of times, it was the epoch ofincredulity, to paraphrase the Charles Dickens classic novel ‘A Tale of TwoCities.’” With the restaurant industry already hurting— plus a ban on outdoordining —it would not be an understatement to say this, in fact, was the winterof despair.

Monrovia City ManagerDylan Feik pointed out in early December that according to public health data,“between 10–15 percent of positive cases were reported from dining out withsomeone who tested positive, while more than 50 percent were reported frombeing at a private social gathering with someone who tested positive.”According to Feik, city officials at the time were concerned that closingrestaurants would “adversely incentivize residents to dine together, indoors,and without any safety precautions in place,” a sentiment that has been echoedby Supervisor Kathryn Barger.  

“I support following the governor’s recommended guidelines for Southern California, and reopening outdoor dining, personal care services and other industries that were previously closed by these orders,” Barger said Monday. “A data-driven and pragmatic policy approach is essential to protecting public health, while balancing the devastating social, emotional and economic impacts of this virus.”

Feik said he was surprisedby the governor’s announcement Monday but that it was “a welcome surprise.” Headded that the city is “hopeful struggling businesses can resume operations ina safe and responsible manner.”

He commended Monroviansand the many businesses who created the ‘OperationSave Our Restaurants’ program. “It’s true ‘neighbor helping neighbor’ stuffand part of what makes Monrovia so special,” he said. “At the city, we areworking to allow the Street Fair and expanded outdoor dining (so Friday andSaturday) to resume so long as they are allowed under the County Health Order.We suspect they will be.”

Hopefully, now some of ourfavorite eateries and watering holes can recover a little of what they havelost. The L.A. County guidelines for reopening will be released Friday,according to Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis.

With the roller coaster ofrules and regulations Beacon Media has reached out to several restaurants and localleaders for their thoughts.

Paul Little, PasadenaChamber of Commerce CEO, shared his thoughts on the latest news:

“I hope this means thathair salons, fitness and yoga studios, retailers and restaurants can return tothe opening protocols we had prior to Thanksgiving.

“It is frustrating thatthe governor seems to be making these decisions on a whim, or after readingpolitical tea leaves, as the most recent closure orders were not based on anyscientific data or experience that showed higher infection rates among customersof any of the closed industry types. I expect more blame for the recentinfection spikes can be laid at the feet of the governor himself whoessentially told Californians to ignore his own rules and regulations, and theexpert advice of health experts, when he went to dinner with donors at theFrench Laundry.”

According to a surveyreleased this month by the NationalRestaurant Association, the restaurant industry ended 2020 with total salesthat were $240 billion below the Association’s pre-pandemic forecast for theyear and nearly 2.5 million jobs below its pre-coronavirus level. As of Dec. 1,2020, more than 110,000 eating and drinking places were closed for businesstemporarily, or for good.

“Our research shows aclear desire among consumers to enjoy more on-premises dining at restaurantsthan they have been able to get during the pandemic,” says Hudson Riehle, theAssociation’s senior vice president of Research. “We’ve also found that even asthe vaccine becomes more available and more customers can return torestaurants, they’ll continue to want the expanded off-premises options goingforward. Both will continue to be key for industry growth.”

David Robkin who owns thepopular Wingwalker Brewery in Monrovia is playing it safe. “I can be ready forreopening but I am not going to unless I feel it is safe and that safety iscorroborated by independent medical or scientific opinion. I know the Board ofSupervisors wishes they could command infection safety, but they can’t,” Robkintold Beacon Media News. “Until infection rates drop and hospital beds areavailable, I will remain take-out only. I also do not have enough patio heatersfor more than six people at a time.”

“Regarding the stay-at-homeorder being lifted, this news is a huge relief as this has not only negativelyaffected our loyal patrons, but also our employees, vendors and all those whodepend on us for a living,” says the co-owner of Twoheys Restaurant in SouthPasadena. “We now can provide more options for our patrons, including thepresent curbside carhop, takeout and patio dining.”

Newsom Monday was quick topoint out that California is not “out of the woods yet, but there is thatpreverbal light at the end of the tunnel.”

This is a developing story;we will publish more details as they become available.

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