Some Georgia restaurant operators are preparing to reopen as the state rolls back restrictions on a host of activities in an effort to revive an economy that has been largely stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Although many observers say it is too early to risk allowing in-store dining in much of the country, business owners are eager to begin the transition toward a degree of normalcy, especially in areas where the known spread of the virus has been minimal.
“We do plan to open as the states and counties allow us to,” said James O’Reilly, CEO of Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, an Aventura, Florida-based chain of casual-dining barbecue restaurants with 61 locations in 16 states including Georgia.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp this week gave the green light for many businesses — including restaurants, barber shops and other venues where customers and employees can be close to each other — to reopen in the coming days, assuming they take certain steps to minimize the dangers of transmission. President Trump, who has supported Kemp and has also been a proponent of states relaxing restrictions on businesses, said Wednesday he disagreed with Kemp’s decision. The administration previously outlined a series of metrics concerning declining rates of infection that states were to use as a guide for reopening businesses, and Georgia has not met those thresholds.
As of April 22, Georgia had tallied 21,102 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, with 846 deaths.
O’Reilly said Smokey Bones expects to begin serving customers in its dining rooms in its Georgia locations within one to two days after the looser restrictions are scheduled to take effect on Monday. The chain’s restaurants will continue to offer carryout meals and pantry items, while at the same time serving customers in-house in reconfigured dining rooms to conform with social distancing recommendations.
“Especially during this transition phase, it will not be business as usual,” said O’Reilly, who joined the privately owned company in November after serving four years as CEO of seafood chain Long John Silver’s.
Smokey Bones employees are being retrained to work under the new conditions and will wear masks and gloves supplied by the company. In addition, cleaning and sanitization procedures have been stepped up and will be highly visible to customers, he said. For example, condiment containers will be removed from each table and cleaned before being replaced when customers are seated, and signage will appear prominently through the restaurants explaining the steps the company is taking.
Many of the company’s employees are eager to return to work, O’Reilly said.
“We are working hard to execute the brand and the business as we should be now, and looking forward to better times for sure,” he said.
Location-by-Location Decision
Likewise, Mellow Mushroom, a mostly franchised pizza and sandwich chain based in Atlanta, is eager to reopen its dining rooms over the coming weeks and has been carefully planning how it will do so, according to Anne Mejia, VP of brand development.
“We want to make sure we do it safely and that we adhere to any social distancing norms,” she said.
The chain has 186 locations in 21 states, and is 98 percent franchised, with only four corporately owned restaurants. The decision whether or not to reopen will be made on a location-by-location basis by the individual franchisees themselves.
“It looks a little different in every community,” said Mejia, noting that consumers in some areas might be more inclined to continue sheltering in place.
Mellow Mushroom has been planning strategies for how to reopen its dining rooms, with a controlled flow of traffic and a supply of masks for workers. Like Smokey Bones, Mellow Mushroom also plans to continue its curbside pickup operations to serve customers who remain wary of in-store dining.
One key concern is ensuring that each location has enough employees to support in-store operations, and that they are trained to perform the necessary tasks.
“We are making sure that every owner-operator that wants to reopen is aware of the guidelines from the state, and what it will mean to be open in the next week or two weeks or so,” Mejia said.
Choosing Not to Open
Other restaurant operators say they are firmly in the camp of those who feel it is too soon to reopen.
"I am the leader of my restaurants. I will say when we open,” tweeted Hugh Acheson, owner of 5&10 in Athens, Georgia. “It will be when I feel it is safe for those I employ, my family and my customers. No one tells me when to open. Period. And not on Monday."
Argosy, a casual dining restaurant in Atlanta, also said in a Facebook post this week that it does not plan to open on Monday.
“Out of concern for the well-being of our staff and guests and respect for the health care workers of Georgia, we will not be reopening our dining room on April 27,” the company said. “We will continue to serve takeout food and package beer and wine until such time as the public health crisis has passed. Thank you for your support over the last month.”
Ray Camillo, CEO and founder of Atlanta-based Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting, said it will be difficult for many restaurants to operate profitably if they have to eliminate tables from their dining rooms to maintain social distancing.
“If you have a 90-seat restaurant that suddenly turns into a 45-seat restaurant, that’s not good enough,” he said.
Camillo said the state’s decision to allow restaurants to reopen their dining rooms could have some positive impact, however.
“Most restaurants would agree it’s a little early to be opening for business, but it is forcing them to get ready, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Related: Restaurants Add Meal Kits to Supplement Sales; Almost Half of US Restaurants Have Temporarily Closed.
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