Tanya Dubuclet had already taken a tape measure to the dining room at her Neyow’s Creole Café, assessing where she could put tables to comply with new rules allowing limited restaurant service under the new coronavirus restrictions. On Tuesday, once New Orleans officials confirmed the details of those rules, she told her oyster shucker to get ready to return to work.
“We’re just so excited,” she said. “It’s not going to be like normal, but it’s a start, it’s going to be better than what we’ve had.”
Tanya Dubuclet started Neyow's in 2010 and expanded with a much larger location on Bienville Street in New Orleans.
For Dubuclet, the change means it's time to put oysters back on her menu of Creole comfort food, which she’s served for takeout only for the past two months. It’s also time for some guarded optimism.
“Hopefully, this phase goes by fast and we can make to the next step,” when restrictions could further loosened, she said. “Everyone has to be careful.”
Tito's Ceviche & Pisco Restaurant owner/chef, Juan Lock, and owner, Tatiana Lock, right, watch from the bar in their restaurant as Mayor LaToya Cantrell announces an easing of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Lock was so eager to hear the mayor's announcement she marked the start time on her phone's calendar.
Restaurants across the state, along with bars with food service permits, are allowed to reopen with 25% capacity inside, and more seating outside following social distancing measures. It’s part of the first phase of reopening Louisiana’s economy, which begins Friday.
In New Orleans, which is under its own set of rules, the changes take effect Saturday. New Orleans also requires restaurants to take reservations for all customers, including walk-ups, as a way to keep customer information for possible contact tracing.
Coming back in stages
The loosening of these and other business restrictions comes with the caveat that a spike in coronavirus infections could bring back more stringent mandates.
Restaurant operators are eyeing the impending change with a mix of relief but also trepidation, as they manage new rules, the expectations of their customers and the less-than-universal embrace of social distancing measures by the public.
Pedestrians pass Coquette on Magazine street in New Orleans.
When people call for reservation at Coquette, they'll get an advisory on the restaurant's own safety protocols.
Staff will have their temperature tested before work, cleaning will be constant and customers will be asked to wear face coverings any time they’re not seated at their tables (such as arriving, leaving, or walking to the restroom). The restaurant will provide bags for customers to store their masks during meals.
“We decided transparency is the No. 1 thing," said co-owner Kristen Essig. "We're saying 'Here’s what we’re doing, here’s why we’re doing it, we’re open to change, let us know what you think.' I can't control everything, but I can control the safety of the people who work for me and that's where this starts."
Essig said she and partner Michael Stoltzfus will evaluate the first weekend of service and go from there.
“At 25% (capacity), we’re not making money, but remaining relevant and in people's minds and thoughts is extremely important," she said. "We’re coming back in stages.”
Outdoor options
Gov. John Bel Edwards has said public health data will guide future phases of reopening Louisiana’s economy. The next phase could begin 21 days from Saturday with capacity increased to 50%.
Stan Harris, CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, said the governor's first phase toward reopening is a positive one, but some restaurants can't open with just 25% in sales volume.
"We project there will be a significant mortality of restaurants," Harris said. "They are cash flow driven businesses at very low profit margins."
To boost their business under the restrictions, some restaurants are looking to outdoor dining areas, where seating does not count against indoor capacity but is limited only by maintaining a minimum 10-foot distance between tables.
Jean-Luc Albin, owner of Maurice's bakery, acknowledges Drago's owner Tommy Cvitanovich, after getting an order of charbroiled oysters in a pizza box at the Metairie restaurant Friday, May 8, 2020. Cvitanovich converted part of the parking for outdoor seating with tables for customers.
At Drago’s in Metairie, a restaurant that can accommodate 500 people is prepared to reopen with seats for 100. But outside, part of the parking lot has been turned into what looks like a beer garden, with a dozen umbrella-topped tables well-spaced between planters. Owner Tommy Cvitanovich is looking at installing tents and other measures to keep outdoor seating viable when the weather heats up.
“You have to consider everything at this point, everyone in the business is scrambling,” he said.
Some, though, are waiting.
Upperline Restaurant serves its own distinctive style of contemporary Creole cuisine.
The Uptown bistro Upperline will remain closed for now. Proprietor JoAnn Clevenger said she is yearning to reopen and reconnect with her customers and staff but wants to see how the first phase of reopening impacts coronavirus spread.
“People in restaurants devote their professional lives to making people happy and keeping them safe. That’s what we do. Right now, I don’t know if I have handle on how to do that,” she said. “It’s the staff and the guests and the vendors and the postman. I have very mixed feelings, I’m very concerned.”
So for now, by the door at Upperline, Clevenger has a list on display for would-be customers showing other nearby restaurants offering takeout.
Staff writer Megan Wyatt contributed to this story.
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