EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – For the first time in a long time, the doors of the Tavern on Main were open.
Inside, eyes were turned towards the TV, but rather than watching sports, Kristian Krieger’s attention was on Governor Gavin Newsom.
On Tuesday, Newsom announced new guidelines for California restaurants to re-open to dine in service.
According to the state's website, restaurants will need to implement several different cleaning and disposal protocols. There will also be new guidelines on physical distancing between staff and customers, occupancy numbers, and layouts.
But missing from the newly released list was a specific date for when local restaurants could actually allow customers back inside.
“I always thought it was about the end of the month, but that might be pushed back because Governor Newsom didn’t give us anything today," said Krieger. "But the fact that they did give us this is at least a starting point, something to prepare.”
Seated six feet apart from each other and clad in face masks, the managers for Krieger's Tavern and the Brewport discussed their plans for the future.
Changes will be coming to both restaurants.
“That’s kind of an example," Krieger said referencing a large table. "We're going to move tables right up next to the bar.”
There will also be barriers set up between tables along the perimeter.
“We'll put up some plexiglass here," he said. "These people are going to be facing opposite directions anyway and with all the space the server can be like this.”
The self-serve model at Brewport will also need to be tweaked in order to adapt to new regulations.
“They’re creating devices, like a plastic thing so there's not as much touching involved," Krieger said.
Krieger's restaurants in El Segundo will not be permitted to reopen to dine-in customers until L.A. County reaches regional variance — meaning no more than one new COVID-19 case per 10,000 residents in the past 14 days and no COVID-19 deaths in the last two weeks, among other criteria.
But as they wait for that date to come, Krieger says they'll begin to slowly ramp up their to-go and takeout orders.
“The to-go thing is basically just treading water," Krieger said, "but it will be one step better than it was and then hopefully it will be one step better than it was from there and on and on.”
He's hoping to take small steps each week so that when the reopening date does come, he and his staff will be ready to welcome customers once again.