{"id":232027,"date":"2020-08-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/outside-and-open-for-business\/"},"modified":"2020-08-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T07:00:00","slug":"outside-and-open-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/outside-and-open-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Afuera y abierto para los negocios."},"content":{"rendered":"

By JEFF CLEMETSON and DAVE SCHWAB<\/p>\n

San Diego businesses, restaurants in particular, have been turned inside-out once again.<\/p>\n

Citing rising positive tests and hospitalizations from coronavirus, on July 13 Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the statewide closure of indoor operations at a laundry list of establishments including restaurants, wineries, gyms, hair salons, worship centers, personal care services, malls, movie theaters, zoos, aquariums, family entertainment centers, and card rooms, as well as the full closure of all bars and non-critical office settings.<\/p>\n

In response to the rollback in small-business re-openings, just recently undertaken before COVID-19 cases spiked, San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer signed an executive order on July 7 that order provides regulatory relief to restaurants and makes dining safer by encouraging outdoor operations. The order, effective immediately, waives permitting and parking requirements for the use of sidewalks and private parking lots as outdoor dining venues.<\/p>\n

Parking lot patios<\/strong><\/p>\n

While some restaurants have long taken advantage of San Diego\u2019s sunny climate with outdoor dining patios, there are still many more that do not have them. After the city gave the OK to move seating into parking lots or sidewalks, restaurants have come up with interesting ways to take advantage of the new outdoor option \u2014 with various degrees of success, depending on the space available to them.<\/p>\n

\"Outside<\/a>
The Trails Eatery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dirty Birds, a chicken wings restaurant in the College Area, set up its outdoor dining area July 10. Located in a strip mall off El Cajon Boulevard \u2014 already with a limited size parking lot \u2014 the restaurant could only find space for nine tables that seat roughly 24 customers. Dirty Birds\u2019 indoor dining area can serve over 100. Still, the restaurant is thankful for the business it still has with its limited seating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been helpful,\u201d said Dirty Birds manager PJ Cagnina \u201cAs you can see, we have five tables sat and it\u2019s 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, so it\u2019s been helpful so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

The limited number tables have cut staff and sales at the restaurant by roughly half, said Dirty Birds owner Noli Zosa.<\/p>\n

\u201cCustomers overwhelmingly love [the outdoor dining] because of the pleasant atmosphere,\u201d Zosa said. \u201cThe only issue is the longer wait times because of our limited capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cagnina added that on weekends there are people waiting for tables and he also gets around 30 to 40 calls a day from people asking if there is outdoor dining available.<\/p>\n

Despite tables now taking a few of the limited parking spaces in front of the restaurant, Cagnina said it hasn\u2019t been an issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have enough neighborhood street parking that it facilitates what is needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Outside<\/a>
p\u00e1jaros sucios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Across Interstate 8 in the San Carlos neighborhood, The Trails Eatery has benefited from a location with a large parking lot \u2014 and some forethought to how the pandemic might affect business.<\/p>\n

Trails Eatery owner Stacey Poon-Kinney finished her parking lot patio a little over a week after restaurants were allowed to open for indoor dining at half capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been working on opening the patio space for weeks \u2014 five weeks \u2014 before we ever opened it. While we were just doing takeout, before we were even allowed to do 50% dining inside, I saw the writing on the wall. I knew we were only going to be able to open at 50%,\u201d she said. \u201cThe biggest motivation for me to put a patio space out here temporarily was that with 50% capacity dining, I can\u2019t pay my rent. It wasn\u2019t going to be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Poon-Kinney said her landlords were amicable to allowing a patio into the parking lot that is shared with neighboring stores like San Carlos Hardware and Keils grocery store, it was still \u201ca very difficult process\u201d to get it done, mostly due to getting the patio insured.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody likes to insure parking lot patios. So my insurance company required me to jump through lot of hoops,\u201d Poon-Kinney said. \u201cI was able to send back everything they asked for and it still took them three weeks. They had to send it all the way up the flagpole. We were the very first restaurant in the nation that they insured for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poon-Kinney credits the safety precautions she took for the patio for the eventual insurance policy that covers it. The Trails Eatery patio is protected on three sides by concrete barriers \u2014 colorfully painted with hearts \u2014 as well as the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. There are umbrella tables and planters to add ambience to the makeshift outdoor dining area.<\/p>\n

\"Outside<\/a>
Longhorn Bar & Grill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe expense of doing this is an absolute killer, but it is a requirement because otherwise we just be doing to-gos and I can guarantee we\u2019d be out of business in the very near future if we didn\u2019t have this patio,\u201d she said, adding that the patio cost was thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

Poon-Kinney also pointed out that the patio \u201cdid not happen in a vacuum.\u201d It was possible because of support from her landlords as well as local businesses like Art\u2019s Trenchplate & K-Rail Services who were able to supply the concrete barriers and set them up using a crane for a good price and neighboring San Carlos True Value Hardware who also offered a good price for the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s things like that that make all the difference in the world and that\u2019s what has made this possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In the same spirit of community, the patio at The Trails Eatery inspired another local restaurant\u2019s parking lot patio. The Longhorn Bar & Grill in Grantville extended its outdoor area shortly after the mayor\u2019s July 7 executive order.<\/p>\n

Longhorn owner Paul Bernhardt credits his wife Bettyann for quickly designing and setting up the patio, which also features concrete barriers from Art\u2019s Trenchplate & K-Rail Services and features a bamboo privacy screen and putting green-style astroturf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a couple of weeks to get dialed in, but it\u2019s been working out really well,\u201d Bernhardt said. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be a bad thing to keep it even when we\u2019re allowed back inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining a patio past the quarantine would require some costs and regulatory hoops, Bernhardt said, including monthly rent for the concrete barriers, permission from the property owner, permits from the city and the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, who would need to sign off on the plan so drinks can be served. Future plans aside, the current outdoor patio has become integral to Longhorn staying open.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d be dead in the water without it,\u201d Bernhardt said.<\/p>\n

In normal times, Longhorn has 19 tables and 15 bar seats. The new patio dining offers 12 tables.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Seating is] down quite a bit but people have been generally been pretty patient when we do have a wait for tables, which happens\u201d Bernhardt said.<\/p>\n

Bernhardt also credits his community involvement, sponsoring local Little League teams and the Patrick Henry football program, for the continued support he gets back from his local customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community knows we\u2019re supporting them and they definitely have come out to support us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Outdoor service<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the most visible businesses to take advantage of operating in patios are restaurants, more and more service industry businesses are also moving outside.<\/p>\n

Tony Ganaway, owner of The Cutting Edge barber shop in College Area, was quick to set up barber seats outside when inside businesses were again forced to close.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a pretty good idea in my head how I could operate in the parking lot, and it actually worked out pretty well,\u201d he said of his parking lot shop with barber chairs and work stations under pop-up tents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good publicity. People see us out here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

For safety, Cutting Edge has hand sanitizers for barbers and customers to use, disinfectants to clean up after every haircut, and all barbers wear masks and gloves. Safety, he said, is the most important consideration, but so too is keeping his doors open.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very important to keep it open because everybody here, in some sort of fashion, has a family they need to take care of, whether its kids or adults,\u201d he said, adding that he has a 2-year-old daughter. \u201cWe all shut down at the beginning of this and waited our time to be able to reopen and follow the state\u2019s orders. So now that we reopened, it\u2019s imperative for us to make some money and there\u2019s no telling how long this will be and we need to feed our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the coronavirus pandemic still growing, it is likely that even more types of businesses will find ways to move operations outdoors, a move that is supported by College Area Business District executive director Jim Schneider.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased to see so many businesses taking advantage of this and the other progressive programs offered to keep small businesses alive during this pandemic,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir creativity and ability to pivot demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit by proving to be able to adapt quickly. Given the emotional and financial cost of these adaptations, we hope some of these temporary measures, like Outdoor Business Operations, can become permanent small business assistance for years after this pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeff Clemetson is an editor and Dave Schwab is a contributing editor at the San Diego Community Newspaper Group.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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