‘Very thankful’: Grand Strand restaurants open indoor dining following coronavirus shutdown
Tanya Romanenko is excited to reopen her Myrtle Beach bistro for dine-in service but still has some reservations about it given the continued spread of the coronavirus.
“I don’t think the virus is gone because you see right now there’s new cases each day,” said Romanenko, who owns Old Town Crepes in Myrtle Beach. “I have some concerns about the safety of myself and the employees. We have a lot of tourists, and it’s scary to reopen for dine-in service and have people inside.”
Despite South Carolina seeing nearly 8,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 330 deaths, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster issued an order that allows restaurants to open for indoor dining starting Monday so long as they keep patrons to 50 percent occupancy, place tables 6 to 8 feet apart and follow stringent cleaning and sanitizing guidelines, like keeping hand sanitizer at entrances and removing previously shared condiments from tables.
Up to eight diners are allowed per table, according to state orders.
The decision comes after a roughly two-month mandated shut down on dine-in service due to the virus, and one week after restrictions were lifted on outdoor dining. However, while restaurants are advised to follow the state’s guidelines, none of those safety measures are required, state officials said.
“These are not laws, they are recommendations,” McMaster said in a news conference last week. “And we are taking this step in opening up the 50 percent inside based on the presumption and the hope that people will follow these recommendations. But if situations arise where the customers or the staff or the business owners themselves see dangerous conduct taking place, then we expect them to say so and do something about it.”
Despite the limited enforcement, several restaurants along the Grand Strand took to social media Monday morning sharing plans to reopen and promising customers safety protocols would be followed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Others placed signs outside their restaurants, letting folks know they’re open for business.
Romanenko ensured her employees will wear facemasks and gloves while serving customers, with hand sanitizer and wipes available at the restaurants entrance and in the bathroom for those who need it. She added menus, tables and credit card machines will be sanitized following each use.
Additionally, the bistro will have about eight tables spaced out and available for dining compared to the almost 20 provided prior to the virus. Two tables are also set up outdoors, she said.
“I’m happy from one point to open but from another I’m concerned. Me as an owner I have full responsibility about what happens and if tomorrow God for bid something happens,” Romanenko said. “We’re using as much precautions as possible.”
With the mandated closure ordered just days after she reopened her business after shutting down during the winter season, Romanenko noted some difficulty hiring back staff to work during this time. As she seeks additional wait staff, Tara Fox, owner of Duck Dive Bar and Grill in North Myrtle Beach, is fully staffed and ready to go when she opens Monday afternoon.
With Fox seeing success in takeout and curbside orders, she said her six employees have remained on payroll but with reduced hours. Though workers are now back to working full-time, she said, getting approved for a Paycheck Protection Program loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration will allow her to catch up on payroll, mortgage and other utility payments that may have accumulated over the last seven weeks.
Looking forward, Fox is thrilled to reopen and allow customers inside her restaurant once again.
“We are very thankful that we can open up 50 percent inside dining and look forward being able to open 100 percent in the near future,” Fox said. “We are small, inside dining for us is 32 people, with 50 percent that means 16. The way we look at it, that is 16 extra people we can see now on a daily basis.”
Safety protocols will also be adhered to, with tables properly distanced, staff cleaning and sanitizing every table after use and condiments kept inside the bar provided to customers upon request. While facemasks will be optional for severs, Fox said staff members will consistently wash their hands and wear gloves when necessary.
With businesses across the nation feeling a level of uncertainty, and some facing permanent closure, these last few months, Fox knows she wouldn’t have the opportunity to operate under these limited restrictions if not for the local residents.
“The locals really supported us,” Fox said. “That is what got us through this. Without them, it would have been a disaster.”
