News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Even if tight limitations remain in place, local restaurant owners said they need to reopen dining rooms to customers.
Governor Bill Lee announced Thursday that restaurants can reopen beginning Monday if they meet requirements and stay under 50 percent capacity. Drew Blalock is the owner of Crawdaddy’s West Side Grill in Cookeville.
“We have $34,800 dollars in bills every month that have to be paid regardless,” Blalock said. “So, even if we can do any sales, that chips away at that number a little bit. Even for now, we’ve been doing take out, and we’ve been averaging between 15 and 18 percent of our normal sales. It chips away at that big number a little bit.”
Chad Westfall, manager of Cookeville’s Rib City location, said he hopes he can reopen his dining room, depending on Friday’s announcement from the Governor.
“Under the circumstances, I think it would be worth reopening,” Westfall said. “We were already doing (limitations) before, but it would mean bringing more staff back, service staff and kitchen staff.”
Blalock said Crawdaddy’s has a unique setup that should allow for the restaurant to serve its customers.
“We’re lucky to have an outdoor patio,” Blalock said. “I can take three tables off that patio and every table is well over six feet apart, and it’s open air. So, I think that’s a benefit for us. Inside, I’ll probably have to take half my tables out.”
Restaurants closed their dining rooms after Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 22 on March 30, putting restrictions in place to fight COVID-19. Westfall said he wonders how quickly residents will return to dining rooms.
“I don’t know how much demand or how much people are going to want to come in,” Westfall said. “Business has definitely picked up for our takeouts over the last few weeks. We never had curbside pickup before this, but that is probably something we will keep doing at least for now.”
Blalock said no matter what directive comes from public officials, common sense and safety has to be restaurant’s biggest priority.
“If we’re going to open, we have to do it in the safest way possible,” Blalock said. “There’s so much unknown with this and so may theories, but at the end of the day, you just have to be as safe as you can be.”
