Restaurants across Minnesota reopened Wednesday for indoor dining for the first time in 12 weeks, and restaurateurs and diners seemed nothing short of elated.
Though in the time of social distancing, reunions of familiar faces were met more with virtual hugs than physical ones and cracking of smiles hidden behind face masks.
At the Downtowner Woodfire Grill on West Seventh in St. Paul, owner Moe Sharif opened up his dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first time since restaurants were ordered to shut down for dine-in services in mid-March because of the coronavirus. So when doors opened at 7 a.m., it was a wonderful reunion.
“They were my regulars. I was so happy to see them,” Sharif said. “And they were so happy to come in and dine here again.”
While his Burger Moe’s restaurant across the street opened its patio last week after the state loosened restrictions for outdoor dining, it didn’t make sense at the time for Sharif to reopen the Downtowner, which relies heavily on indoor service. That all changed when the governor announced last Friday indoor dining could resume starting June 10 with restrictions such as requiring reservations, limiting capacity and making masks a necessity.
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The Downtowner is usually one of the hottest reservations to score around town, yet the first day didn’t mean all of the 46 seats, usually 100 before social distance guidelines, were filled. Sharif said the flow on Wednesday was sparse, which he preferred as the restaurant put into action its safety plan.
“This pace is good because I don’t want to get overwhelmed right away. We just want all of our staff to be safe and our customers to be safe,” Sharif said.
MORE OPENINGS
Other popular St. Paul dining rooms that opened for indoor service Wednesday included Cafe Latte, Saji-Ya, Dixie’s on Grand Avenue as well as Mancini’s Char House on West Seventh.
Pat Kallemeyn, co-owner of Saji-Ya and Dixie’s, looked forward to greeting customers on the reservation list that included regulars.
“To our customers, I just want to welcome them and thank them for coming here,” Kallemeyn said. “We’re working hard and putting in the hours and hope to be here on the other side. … It’s starting to feel a little more normal, fingers crossed. Our patios have been open, but there have been days when it’s rained and we’ve had to say, ‘hey, wait in your car and we’ll bring your order curbside.’ Now we have the option of seating them inside now, which is nice.”
Joseph’s Grill off Wabasha Street also opened. In addition to state guidelines, the restaurant has put in place a new indoor air filtration system called Iso-Aire. According to Kim Harbinson of Iso-Aire marketing, Joseph’s Grill is the first restaurant in Minnesota and the country to offer the air filtration system. At Hope Breakfast Bar off West Seventh in St. Paul, owner Brian Ingram redesigned his floor plan and put up plexiglass between tables.
In the suburbs, dining hotspots such as Baldamar steak and seafood in Roseville and Matchstick in Hotel Crosby in downtown Stillwater also reopened their indoor spaces Wednesday.
DINERS EXCITED TO RETURN
For diners, dining at their favorite restaurants again was something they had been looking forward to for awhile.
Rob Rulon of St. Paul made a reservation for Saji-Ya in his neighborhood for the first day dining indoors at restaurants was allowed again.
“I love sushi and I live just a few blocks away, and for a long time (Saji-Ya) and Sakura downtown were the only places you could get sushi. So I started going there and over the years I got to be friends with everybody, and I like the management and the ownership so I continue to go,” he said.
Rulon said while he is cautious when it comes to dining indoors again amid a pandemic, it feels nice to dine out again, which he said he did everyday before restaurants were ordered closed.
“I look forward to going out again,” he said. “It’s not the same when you pick it up curbside and it’s in a plastic box.”
WAITING TO OPEN INDOORS
Still, some restaurants chose not to reopen for indoor dining the first day the state has allowed it since the shutdown.
Several were concentrating on getting the flow of their patios or outdoor dining spaces that just reopened or will reopen soon in order.
At The Lexington on Grand Avenue, patio dining launched on Friday and is currently underway and curbside pickup continues. Indoor dining will begin next week, on Wednesday, June 17.
W.A. Frost on Cathedral Hill plans to reopen its popular patio on Tuesday, June 16, and will put the focus on that for the time being. “Safety of customers and staff is paramount at Frost,” said a spokesman for the company.
Salut Bar American plans to wait until next week, on Monday, June 15, to reopen both the St. Paul Grand Avenue and Edina 50th and France locations.
On Tuesday, Surly Brewing Co. rolled out its socially distanced patio with 200-plus seats, a new counter service model and several new menu items. However, no date has been set yet for resuming dining in the indoor space, which has been reconfigured to eventually reopen following social distancing and other guidelines.
“For me, it’s going to be a feeling. When staff feels safe to open indoors, then we’ll know the time is right,” said Dan DiNovis, vice president of hospitality for Surly.
Emma Harville contributed to this report.
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MN restaurants filled with cheers and regulars as indoor dining returns amid coronavirus - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
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