Restaurants across Central New York may get the green light to reopen their dining rooms as soon as Friday.
But the experience won’t be the same. It might start with the way your server greets you.
“The servers will be wearing masks, so even though they’re very happy to see you, you won’t be able to see their smile,” said Sara Tong-Ngork, operations manager for three affiliated restaurants in Armory Square: Lemon Grass, Bistro Elephant and Citronelle. “But trust me, they’ll be thrilled to to see you. I know I will.”
Central New York is poised to enter phase three of the state’s business reopening plan at the end of this week, and that includes the limited reopening of dining rooms. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to make that call by Friday.
But there will be restrictions during the reopening period: Tables will be separated or partitioned; dining room capacity will be limited to 50 percent; and customers will need to wear masks until they are seated. (See full list of guidelines below).
It will take some getting used to, both for the customers and the restaurant staff, Tong-Ngork said. She’s been looking at the guidelines and recommendations from others in the dining business. Last week, she shared some of that advice through a post she found on Facebook.
The bottom line: “Be patient,” she said. “Be kind. We’re all trying to make the best of it.”
Sara Tong-Ngork, currently operations manager for Lemon Grass/Bistro Elelphant/Cintronelle in Armory Square. She plans to open a Thai street food stall in the downtown Salt City Market this fall.Provided photo/Black Cub Productions
For customers, that means being aware of stresses on the servers and other staff.
“It’s summer, it may be hot, they (servers) may be running around, and wearing a mask or other protections in that situation will be uncomfortable,” she said.
Her advice is to do your best not to make extra work for the server. For example, have everyone at your table order drinks at once, instead forcing the server to make multiple trips from the table to the bar.
It’s also important for customers to take the limited seating into consideration, she said. That means don’t linger unnecessarily when there are other customers waiting. It’s unfair to the other patrons, she said, and could keep the restaurant from maxmizing its chance to make money.
“People should remember that the restaurants have been suffering economically for months,” Tong-Ngork said. “I saw something something on Facebook that said, ‘Don’t order two salads and a glass of water and sit there for four hours.' That’s about right.”
On the flip side, she said, it’s important for the restaurant and its staff to make the customers feel welcome and reassure them that all safety precautions are being followed.
“I know we’ll do everything we can to let people know what we’re doing and why,” she said. “Of course some people might be nervous about coming out. We want them to enjoy being back in the dining room with us so we don’t want to scare them.”
The staff at the three Armory Square restaurants, all owned by Max and Pook Chutinthranond, have been meeting to go over all the protocols and procedures for the anticipated opening, Tong-Ngork said.
One of the solutions for the immediate reopening period is that all three restaurant spaces will operate as one, with a combined menu. That combines the Pacific Rim/Thai cuisine of Lemon Grass with the steakhouse offerings of Bistro Elephant and varying culinary traditions of Citronelle.
Food will come from the Lemon Grass kitchen and will be served at spaced out tables in all three venues (though Citronelle may have limited use at first). There is outdoor seating near Lemon Grass and Bistro Elephant.
The Chutinthranonds wrote in a Facebook post that they put a lot of thought into their gradual reopening plan because most people in the restaurant business “agree that to return to business as usual would be financial suicide.”
For Tong-Ngork, helping Lemon Grass, Bistro Elephant and Citronelle return to normal is a prelude to the next step in her career. Later this year, the veteran of several Syracuse-area restaurant kitchens will return to her love of cooking by opening one of the stalls in the downtown Salt City Market. Her stand is called Firecracker Thai Kitchen.
“I can’t wait for all this to be over,” she said. “I miss the restaurants, the kitchens, the customers. I can’t wait.”
State guidelines for restaurant reopening
- Limit indoor capacity to no more than 50 percent of maximum occupancy, exclusive of employees.
- Limit outdoor capacity to the number of tables that can be safely arranged six feet away from each other.
- Whenever distancing is not available, physical barriers must be enacted between tables.
- Employees must wear face coverings at all times.
- Patrons must wear face coverings, except while seated.
- Individuals at the same table must be members of the same party (but may be from different households) with a maximum of 10 people per table.
- Seating in bar areas and communal tables can only be allowed if six feet distance can be maintained.
RELATED
See guidelines for outdoor dining
These CNY restaurants have closed. How many more will there be?
Kelley’s Restaurant closes after 37 years
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
"best" - Google News
June 09, 2020 at 10:54PM
https://ift.tt/2Yhmelp
Restaurants are reopening. How can I make the best of it? - syracuse.com
"best" - Google News
https://ift.tt/34IFv0S
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Restaurants are reopening. How can I make the best of it? - syracuse.com"
Post a Comment