Lexington restaurants reopened Friday amid COVID. We went to 11, here’s what we found.
Restaurants in Kentucky reopened for dining in on Friday. Customers were really happy to be back out and eating in public again. And restaurants were really happy to have them.
The Herald-Leader sent reporters and photographers around town to 11 dining spots see how the reopening was going.
While many restaurants were eager to open doors, even with only 33 percent of capacity, many were planning to seat customers outside as much as possible.
Outdoor seating, which still has to be six feet from other tables, is unlimited and many restaurants have added tables under canopies and umbrellas to accommodate as many people as possible.
Other restaurants were taking a “wait-and-see” approach, delaying their opening by a few days or even a month while diners adjust to the new circumstances, such as servers wearing masks and gloves.
Here’s what we found around Lexington.
First Watch, South Broadway
The breakfast spot began welcoming customers at 7 a.m., said Tyler Behrens, vice president of operations for Lexington. “We had a couple of guests as we were opening up today,” he said. “We had some waiting outside and really had a nice steady business today.”
There were tables of diners sitting in a new outdoor seating area as well as inside the dining room where they took out some tables to space the rest out. They’ve placed sanitizer stations throughout the restaurant and every hour they disinfect all high-touch surfaces, Behrens said. Every employee was wearing a mask and gloves at all times. Some customers had on masks as they arrived or left.
Bill and Luci Heise were eating brunch on a sidewalk patio. They were in town visiting their son, Will, from Johnson City, Tenn., and were surprised how hard it was to find open restaurants. Until today.
“There was no dining in, so that’s been difficult,” Luci Heise said. Even their hotel was able to give them just a paper bag with a muffin and water, Bill Heise said. So they were thrilled First Watch was open.
“There is one in Johnson City,” Luci Heise said. “So we found this place. Intentionally.”
Oscar Diggs, North Limestone
At Oscar Diggs, Vince Grupposo was setting tables out on the sidewalk under new tents to greet what he hoped would be a good lunch crowd for the first day back.
Inside, tables were spread far apart. “We’re actually going to be under the 33 percent to start with,” he said. Until they feel comfortable with the new protocols. Reservations “are highly encouraged,” he said, and they already have some for dinner. “Our phone’s ringing this morning.”
“It’s a tough challenge,” he said, to preserve safety for staff and customers and still delivery an enjoyable dining experience. “We’re going to continue to have a window open (for takeout) for customers who aren’t comfortable coming in and sitting and dining.”
Columbia Steakhouse, North Limestone
Although Columbia Steakhouse wasn’t opening for lunch on Friday, general manager Flo Cowley was getting all the tables set up outside on the sidewalk, sanitizing vinyl tablecloths and spreading the seating out to social distance.
“I think we’ll be busy with a lot of regulars that have wanted to come in and eat,” she said. The outdoor seating in particular is especially popular, she said.
But she’s said she’s setting up a hostess station on the sidewalk to steer traffic. She doesn’t expect to see everyone.
“Some say they’ll wait a little while,” she said. “They want to see what happens.
Drake’s, Tates Creek Rd.
Drake’s, a popular staple of Bluegrass Hospitality Group’s chain of Lexington restaurants, located among the Lansdowne Shoppes, was bustling with business around noon. Several tables in the patio area were occupied with a mixture of masked and unmasked patrons, and more customers filed in throughout the course of our visit.
“We’re thrilled to welcome our customers back in,” BHG operating owner Brian McCarty told the Herald-Leader. “I think there’s a lot of pent-up demand out there and certainly there is a percentage of our population that want to get back in restaurants. The folks that we’re welcoming today are very excited to be back.”
Drake’s and all other BHG restaurants are requiring all staff members and dine-in customers to have their temperature read and confirmed to be below 100 degrees before entering their restaurants. Staff members, all of whom were wearing gloves and masks, were working outside on the sidewalk to explain and administer the temperature checks when customers arrived. A small hand-held device aimed at the forehead was used to check the temperatures.
There’s a sandwich board situated near the entrance explaining to customers the restaurant’s procedures to minimize the risk of spreading infection, which includes robust cleaning and sanitizing efforts. The board also has a bar code which patrons can scan with their phone camera in order to view a digital menu.
Joe Bologna’s, Maxwell St.
Joe Bologna’s pizza and Italian restaurant on Maxwell closed for six weeks but reopened recently for takeout and on Friday opened the doors for seating in a spiffed up dining room.
And Ann Parks was waiting to order her pepperoni pizza. “I pulled up a couple of minutes before 11. I wanted to be the first one,” Parks said. “I wanted to beat the lunch crowd, which I normally do. Plus the restaurant was freshly cleaned.”
Everyone was masked and server wore gloves.
Owner Joe Bologna, who just turned 75, said he hopes to see 50 years in business in three years. “We’ve got a lot of regulars over 47 years,” he said.
Cinco de Mayo, Maxwell St.
The Cinco de Mayo Mexican Restaurant next to Joe B’s on Maxwell was ready, too, with lots of tables under colorful umbrellas on a large deck out back.
Owner Juan Magana said that despite a slow start on Friday, they were expecting things to pick up.
“The patio’s pretty big, so summer last year was pretty strong, so I think it will come back,” he said. “Takeout’s been pretty good.”
Everyone was masked and wearing gloves.
Joella’s Hot Chicken, Cochran Rd.
When Joella’s, a casual comfort-food spot in the Chevy Chase-Tates Creek corridor, opened at 11 a.m. there was already one group of four customers waiting outside, according to manager Austin Edwards. That group was seated outside in the restaurant’s small patio area when the Herald-Leader arrived about 15 minutes later. None were wearing masks.
During the course of our visit, three separate customers arrived to pick up carryout orders at the raised garage door-style window Joella’s began utilizing for takeout orders when dine-in restrictions were put in place.
All members of Joella’s staff were wearing masks and gloves. Tables in the dine-in area were separated to observe social-distancing guidelines.
Azur, Lakecrest Circle
Staff members at Azur Restaurant & Patio, tucked into the back corner of the Beaumont Shopping Center, were busy taking reservations and preparing orders during the early stages of the lunch rush.
There were three customers seated in a booth inside, and two customers at a table outside on the restaurant’s massive patio. None of the patrons was wearing a mask, but each member of the restaurant staff, both kitchen and front-of-house, was wearing a mask.
Server Adam Schoedinger said Azur was already booked to capacity for dinner Friday night, with reservations made for more than 100 customers. To comply with social distancing and occupancy limitation guidelines, Schoedinger said Azur would be spreading that crowd among three different time blocks.
Charlie Brown’s, Euclid Ave.
Charlie Brown’s, a cozy dive bar and restaurant, had two different sets of customers seated on the outside patio, where tables had been situated at least six feet apart.
Owner Dave Fuller, who along with staff members was wearing a mask, said there was an early lunch rush before business slowed but that he anticipated a big spike in business Friday night.
Fuller said a manager is tasked with overseeing traffic flow to ensure social distancing and capacity guidelines are observed both on the patio and in the restaurant’s intimate inside dining area, and that customers have so far been happy to cooperate.
“They all were out here or sat around spaced at the bar. A few people inside but most people (were) outside,” Fuller said. “They’re all happy and very cooperative. That’s good to see ... everybody has been very excited.”
Charlie Brown’s has long been a popular late-night destination among staff members from other eateries looking to wind down after work, and Fuller said he’s curious to see how the reopening of restaurants will affect that aspect of his business going forward.
“It’s hard to say how the late-night will be, because we get a lot of restaurant people,” Fuller said. “And there weren’t a lot of restaurants open in the beginning (of the pandemic shutdown). So we’ll see, we’ll play it by ear ... But now we’re open and we can do 33 percent (capacity) and we’re pretty excited about it”
Papi’s, Euclid Ave.
Papi’s Mexican Restaurant next door to Charlie Brown’s was not overly busy for lunch, but owner Marcos Valdez said that was partially by design.
“Today is a little slow at lunch time but we have basically full reservations for tonight, so we are going to be very busy tonight,” Valdez said. “I didn’t announce much about opening (for) lunch today, because I just wanted to play it safe. So I wanted my staff to be ready. It was kind of like a soft-opening lunch. But for dinner we are gonna be full and I think we are ready.”
There were two tables occupied by multiple people at Papi’s around 12:45 p.m. All members of the restaurant’s staff, including Valdez, were wearing gloves, face masks and a face shield with a plastic guard that extended below the chin.
“We are trying to do what we have to do. I want to feel that my customers feel confident coming here. I want to reassure them that we are taking every single step that we need to so everybody can be safe; (customers), my staff and even myself” Valdez said.
GirlsGirlsGirls Burritos
Sara Wood, owner of GirlsGirlsGirls Burritos said that they were ready.
“It’s exciting but kind of like a nervous excitement a little bit,” she said. “We’re very grateful to have an awesome patio. We’re ready for people to come on in. We’ve got completely no-contact ordering ... we’re excited for the first step.”
The restaurant even has bottles of hand sanitizer on each table in case customers didn’t bring any. And they came up with a clever way for customers to deal with their masks while dining: Disposable paper bags placed in a coffee can on every table, so that you can keep it handy and clean. And keep the table clean too.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 6:13 PM.
