Here’s a sneak peek of how two restaurants will look in Phase 2

As Pierce County awaited the green light to enter Phase 2, which began June 5, restaurants were preparing for Day 1 of the future.

Chefs and owners, servers and managers have been busy measuring six feet between tables, buying masks, gloves and sanitizer for themselves and for guests. They have reconfigured their dining rooms to seat half their normal capacity, and their patios if lucky enough to have outside seating.

The guidelines for restaurants in Washington also ask patrons to volunteer their information for contact tracing, which can help stem outbreaks as counties across the state ease back into semi-normal life.

“It’s gonna be different than it was,” said Tim Hall, who owns two restaurants in Pierce County — Carne Aqui, a South American steakhouse in Parkland near Spanaway, and HG Bistro in Puyallup. “We can’t just flip a switch and go back to what we were.”

Both restaurants are typically open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

“Business is just better when you are,” he said. “If they’ve got to remember what days you’re closed, they get frustrated and end up going somewhere else. Now people are a little more open-minded to understanding.”

In doing takeout only for nearly three months now, they have cut back to five days, Tuesday to Saturday, and serve dinner only. It’s a decision forced by simple economics.

Only two cooks will be needed to service a half-full restaurant — about 25 at Carne and 50 at HG. Fewer servers will be on the floor, and the role of support staff also will shrink, as the state guidelines recommend one server per table.

New operating hours — 3-8 p.m. on weekdays and until 9 p.m. on weekends — allow returning staff to be fully employed.

“I’m trying to look at the glass half full,” Hall told The News Tribune in a phone call. “I’m looking at it as an opportunity for us to slow down. This whole reset button: Let’s make sure we’re addressing the table properly, going through all the necessary steps to give professional, friendly, exceptional service. Make the guest feel like they’re having a good time, and they feel safe.”

That idea of this moment as a reset already permeated both restaurants’ approach to takeout these past 11 weeks.

Carne Aqui usually sees a couple of to-go orders in normal times, as the food travels relatively well, said Hall, but it was a rare occasion at HG Bistro. That disconnect is evidence that some restaurants just are not built for takeout, not only because the food might not travel well but also because people relish the experience.

“This is where I go and I sit down, and I’m gonna lay out some coin and eat some good food, drink a glass of wine and have some conversation,” said Hall of his second-generation family bistro. A $48 tenderloin steak that’s wallowed in a back seat for 30 minutes isn’t worth it.

He closed HG for a few weeks, as sales were just languishing. Under the leadership of his chef and sous chef, both of whom are Filipino Americans, the restaurant emerged with a new menu highlighting some of their favorite recipes, including lumpia, pancit and bone-in chicken adobo. It has proven to be a success, though it still fills hardly 10 percent of standard sales.

Hall remains optimistic, in part because his father instilled in him the importance of saving, not just making. A decade’s worth of savings has definitely dwindled, he said, “but it’s allowed me to not go out of business.”

Once both restaurants can reopen in Phase 2, they will stick with reservations only to simplify crowd control, which would further stress an already minimal staff. Nonetheless, he is hopeful they could reach 75 percent of their normal revenue, even while operating at half-capacity.

“It’s a positive in that sense,” he said. “Running at half capacity sounds weird. Dining out is going to be a little bit more structured.”

HG Bistro

▪ 1618 E Main Ave., Puyallup, 253-845-5747, hgbistro.com

▪ Details: takeout available Tuesday to Saturday, 3-8 p.m. (9 p.m. weekends); order online or call the restaurant

▪ Reservations only during Phase 2, same hours

Carne Aqui

▪ 14506 Pacific Ave. S, Tacoma, 253-535-6328, carneaqui.com

▪ Details: takeout available Tuesday to Saturday, 3-8 p.m. (9 p.m. weekends); order online or call the restaurant

▪ Reservations only during Phase 2, same hours

This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 11:47 AM.