For the past few months, with the hitting outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, all on-premise establishments have been closed across LA. Of course, deliveries and pick-ups were open, but any sort of dine-in services were shut down and banned by the state. The bad news is that the pandemic is still at hand as there has been no antidote found yet, however, the good news is that things are definitely getting better.

Yes, businesses have taken a huge hit during the times they were shut, but with deliveries and curbside pick-ups put in place, restaurants and bars did manage to pick up their business, but obviously it wasn’t the same as dining in. On the bright side, things are definitely getting better as laws are getting relaxed and bars and restaurants are once again opening up.

However, it’s definitely not the same. Even with on-premise establishments opening up, things are changing in various ways. Here’s a glance at the current state of restaurants and bars in LA.

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Bars & Restaurants opening up: dates and days

Restaurant dining rooms already started opening up on May 29, 2020, in LA. Hotels also started opening up on June 12, whereas according to the laws put out, bars, wineries, and brewery tastings rooms are set to open up on June 19, 2020.

However, just because things are opening up doesn’t mean that they are going to be like before. The L.A. County Department of Public Health has a list of reopening protocols which businesses need to follow in order to successfully open up.

Reopening Protocols

California State’s Guidelines

According to laist.com “the county gave the greenlight for restaurants to reopen — with restrictions — provided they followed safety protocols”.

The website also stated that on June 15, health officials deemed around 1000 LA restaurants inspected were not matching guidelines provided by the state.

For bars, wineries, breweries, and tasting rooms, the laws state that they can open up with 50% capacity only, which is what most of them are doing anyway. However, dancing is banned, along with trivia, karaoke, and other group activities. The famous standing and drinking is also not allowed, and customers are not allowed to purchase drinks while standing either. Bar backs are changing their courses as well, as customers would not be allowed to order a drink at the bar and carry it back to their table. Wait staff will bring customers their orders directly, following complete safety protocols.

For more information:

Check out:

L.A. County's reopening rules for restaurants

L.A. County's reopening toolkit for restaurants

State health department guidance for bars, restaurants, and wineries

L.A. County's reopening rules: bars, wineries, and tasting rooms

Safety First

As bars and restaurants are opening up across LA, things are also changing. No longer can you just walk into a restaurant and expect to get seated amongst a bunch of people. Bars and restaurants are taking precautions to make sure that they can stay open, and serve their customers as safely and effectively as possible.

Some of the things bars and restaurants are doing right now are:

● Partial capacity

Restaurants and bars are all making sure that their venues are not completely packed, and customers maintain the 6ft distance needed. So if a restaurant could hold about let’s say 100 guests first, they’re toning it down to about 50-60 guests at one time in the venue. Partial capacity is taking place in full force to make sure there aren’t a lot of people in the venus.

● Masks & Sanitizers

Of course, all employees are wearing masks, gloves, and sanitizers are being kept on all the tables. However, that’s not where it stops. Restaurants and bars are encouraging customers to keep their masks on until their food arrives, to maintain utmost safety, at least as much as they can.

● Reservations

Walk-ins definitely aren’t the new normal. With partial capacity in place, restaurants and bars have started taking reservations from customers, making sure they know how many people are going to be in the premises at once, so they can make arrangements accordingly.

● Online ordering and throw away menus

Avoiding contact is one thing that is very important right now, and to make sure that takes place effectively, restaurants and bars are switching up to either online ordering, or throw away paper menus. So as a customer, you can easily order online before going in to dine in, or restaurants will provide you with throwaway menus which only you will touch.

● Contactless payment

This has been there for a long time, but it’s now being put in full force as well. Gone are the days where customers would be putting down cash to pay. It’s now all focused on cards, phone payments, and any other sort of payment in which contact isn’t required.

Deliveries and Pick-ups to stay

With restaurants and bars opening up their dining spaces, the delivery and pick-up sector seems to remain the same. Of course, there are a bunch of people who are ready to dine in and are already making their reservations, but there are also a plethora of customers who are still sticking to deliveries and pick-ups. Even with the pandemic situation getting better and people being more confident to go out, customers prefer delivery and pick-ups as of now. Not only because of the situation of the pandemic but also because of the ease with which deliveries and curbside pick-up offer their services.

For restaurants and bars, deliveries and pick-ups have been a major flow of income during the closure, and with things opening up, deliveries and pick-ups are still here to stay, if not, see a rise in the income they are bringing in.

So, as things open up, businesses need to make sure that they follow guidelines put in place by the state for a successful opening. Along with that, restaurants and bars will also have to revamp a couple of things, including their menus and prices due to the current state of income for everyone.