Though Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s loosened health mandates allow restaurants to open for dine-in service today, not many are immediately jumping on the opportunity. The allowance comes with a sheaf of regulations that some restaurants are finding challenging to meet.
Restaurant capacity has to be reduced to allow for social distancing. Only household members are allowed to sit at a table together and must be separated by 10 feet from other occupied tables.
Big Daddy’s Pizza on K-Beach Road switched to take-out and delivery orders only on March 18. Jake Perry works at Big Daddy’s. He said they’re revamping to allow customers to place and pick up orders inside if they would like, including a single slice to go, but they’re holding off on dine-in due to their small space.
“Everyone’s kind of on the fence about what’s going on, everyone feels a little bit one side or the other. But we’re trying to do our best chance at not only protecting the community but protecting ourselves,” Perry said.
Perry said business has been good. There’s only three staff right now but they’re keeping busy.
“I feel kind of guilty that I’m in such a great spot. It’s been nice, it’s been a little bit hectic on our end trying to handle all the traffic. But I’m definitely blessed to be where I’m at and have such a community to help me pay the bills and support my family and everything else,” he said.
The Treehouse Restaurant in Nikiski has a much bigger space, holding 75 to 80 people on a typical Friday or Saturday night. Owner Lynn Tree said they’re down to seating for 35 people but are hoping to see those seats filled today, if they can get through the rest of the regulations.
“The regulations are really stiff. The thing we’re having the hardest is finding enough hand sanitizer for every table,” Tree said.
There are strict handwashing, surface sanitizing and mask-wearing regulations. Disposable ware is recommended and condiments will only be provided in single-use packets or reusable containers that are sanitized after each table. Restaurants must have a COVID-19 mitigation plan, including employee training and signage explaining cleaning protocol and safety practices. There’s a lot to wrap your head around.
“I think, my opinion, he just wanted to say he did something and then he made it too strict that you couldn’t do it. But we are trying. And if we can do it, we are going to open,” Tree said.
Lela Rosin, owner of the Duck Inn on K-Beach, is sticking to take-out and delivery service.
“I feel like the employees have already kind of been jerked around with a lot of changes, and it could go back,” Rosin said. “And I would hate to open it and then have to shut it, so I’m trying to just be consistent. I guess I just didn’t want to be the guinea pig. I didn’t want our employees to be the guinea pigs for this and then find out it’s not going to work anyway. So I think we’re going to hang tough for a little while and see how it goes.”
The Duck added delivery service after the shutdown and that’s kept business at about 25 percent. Rosin said her employees have already gone above and beyond and she didn’t want to put them through another change until it’s more certain.
“Generally, people don’t like change and the coronavirus has forced change, whether you like it or not. And I think they have managed it pretty well so I’m proud of them. They’ve jumped through every hoop we’ve asked and I think they will continue to do so because they really like their jobs, which I’m grateful for,” she said.
Rosin said restaurant owners have been collaborating, sharing ideas and said what they’re doing and how they’re doing. And support from the community has been overwhelming. That’s been a silver lining.
“The public has been incredible, like, incredible acts of kindness to all of our workers,” she said. “So that’s just something that I think you can never replace. So I think, in the end, that’s going to be the awesome thing that comes out of this is that everybody’s supporting each other.”
The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce is maintaining a database of restaurants to let the public know who’s open, what hours and whether they’re doing dine-in, take-out and/or delivery. That database, and a similar one for retail stores, is available through a Facebook group, Greater Soldotna Take-Out and Delivery Options.
