Why some Columbia restaurants aren’t reopening yet, even after SC governor’s OK
While cabin-feverish diners and drinkers flocked to some Columbia-area restaurants and bars that reopened outdoor seating this week, some restaurant owners say they won’t be bringing back diners anytime soon.
When it comes to both safety and finances, “We can’t afford to get this wrong, so we are being cautious,” said Porter Barron, who co-owns The War Mouth restaurant in the Cottontown neighborhood.
Gov. Henry McMaster allowed restaurants to begin outdoor dining this week.
Barron’s barbecue-centric restaurant has subsisted, like many others, on takeout orders alone since mid-March, when McMaster first shut down all on-premises eating and drinking at restaurants and bars across the state. Even The War Mouth’s back patio has stayed empty. And it will stay that way, Barron said, at least until he and his team feel more comfortable with the state of the pandemic.
“We have not seen the decline in cases that the White House said we should look for. They issued guidelines, and our governor’s chosen not to follow them,” Barron said. “But we’re still concerned about those numbers, because we are concerned about the health of our employees and customers.”
What’s more, Barron said, the restaurant could ill-afford to reopen and close multiple times if the community sees repeated spikes in coronavirus cases, which health experts have warned might happen.
“The ground keeps shifting beneath our feet,” Barron said. “Uncertainty is the word of the day, so we have to be cautious.”
The War Mouth is not alone in its cautiousness, and a number of local restaurant owners have expressed similar reservations as Barron.
“I think it’s too early. I don’t think we play hospitality roulette,” said Tim Gardner, owner of Lula Drake Wine Parlour on Main Street. “We’re all hurting economically. We all know we could lose our businesses. That’s a given. But what can we do to find a way to make the best decision that’s not based on political rhetoric, that’s not based on economics?”
Gardner said he and Barron are pulling together a statewide group of restaurant and bar owners and employees called Safe Dining SC who will focus on asking and answering restaurants’ questions about safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. The group also hopes to work with local and state leaders to develop clear guidelines “based on science and data” for businesses moving forward.
“The huge questions seem to be, ‘How can we open and feel absolutely certain that we are not harming our staff and our customers in some way?’” Gardner said. “That’s a heavy burden for anybody, whether you’re a restaurateur or any other small business owner.”
Restaurateur and chef Sarah Simmons, who owns a pair of restaurants and ran a cafe at the downtown library before its coronavirus closure, said her restaurants won’t open for any seating until they’re able to cover all the measures they believe are needed for employees and customers to be safe — including, for instance, touch-free hand sanitizing stations.
“We’ve been trying to purchase those for six weeks now, and the last update we got was those are back-ordered until June,” said the owner of smallSUGAR bakery and cafe in the Vista and Il Focolare Pizzeria in Cottontown. Both are continuing to do takeout business, and Simmons’ team is delivering meals to homebound families.
Simmons’ restaurants haven’t had to lay off any of their 22 employees, she said. So their livelihoods aren’t hinging on a decision to reopen at the moment.
“Our main priority is keeping our staff and guests safe and continuing to feed the community,” Simmons said. “So when we think about reopening, we think about all the things that could compromise that. ...
“We just don’t feel comfortable opening our doors to the unknown, and for us, we would just rather continue cautiously and see how the (infection) numbers change.”
At least one Columbia restaurant that reopened for outdoor dining on Monday was so overwhelmed by crowds that it closed early that night. Publico, a popular taqueria with a spacious back patio in Five Points, reopened once more for Cinco de Mayo celebrations Tuesday but planned to close again for the next couple weeks for the safety of its employees, co-owner Bob McCarthy told The State earlier this week.
Two other popular downtown restaurants that closed immediately upon the governor’s March 17 dining shutdown have reopened recently for takeout orders only. But despite having space to provide outdoor seating if they chose, Motor Supply Co. Bistro in the Vista and Home Team BBQ in Five Points both have said they won’t be seating diners for a while.
As he announced his reopening for takeout last week, Motor Supply owner Eddie Wales told The State, “We’re not going to jump the gun and open (for dining) just because we can.”
Both Barron and Simmons said they don’t hold anything against other restaurants that chose to open their doors this week.
“You can’t make a judgment on someone else’s decision unless you’re in their shoes,” Simmons said. “There’s other factors out there that we don’t understand or know about. ... I can only be in charge of the decision we make.”
“I know some business owners have to open this week. They have no choice in the matter,” Barron said. “I certainly don’t judge. ... Everyone’s got their own challenges.”
Gardner agrees and said his hope is for the South Carolina restaurant community to find unity and clarity on how best to reopen going forward.
“We’re all scared. We’re all hurt for our employees. We all want answers,” he said. “It’s not going to come quickly, but we have to attack the problem.”
