SACRAMENTO — California restaurants waiting for permission to reopen to diners have been preparing for the “new normal” in the age of the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected Tuesday to provide more details of what’s required before his plan to reopen California’s economy reaches restaurant dining rooms, shuttered since...
COVID Analysis: Shopping, Outdoors Safe; Mass Transit, Restaurants Risky
As few as 1,000 SARS-CoV2 viral particles are needed for a COVID-19 infection to take hold. That's based on the MERS and SARS outbreaks. A single breath releases 50 to 5,000 droplets. If a person coughs or sneezes, 200,000,000 viral particles go everywhere. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Professor Erin Bromage searched...
Waffle Shop Owner Says He’s Returning to Takeout Only
Update 5/12/2020: Waffle Shop owner Ammar Ibrahim announced he is reverting to take-out only, starting Wednesday. The Waffle Shop had opened for dine-in service three days, racking up $6,000 in fines from the city. The next citation would carry a $10,000 fine. Below is Ibrahim's full Facebook post. Original story:...
Sen. Borgeas Wants COVID-19 Legal Immunity for Businesses
Restaurants and other businesses on the verge of reopening face legal uncertainty from COVID-19 after they open their doors. State Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) says the threat of coronavirus lawsuits against businesses is real and wants to stop them before they start. The annual state budgeting that starts next week...
City Warns of ‘Criminal Prosecution’ for Defying COVID Orders. Restaurant Owner Faults Mayor.
Dave Fansler hoped to reopen Pismo's Coastal Grill on Thursday. While the popular seafood restaurant wouldn't be packed — Fansler said seating would be restricted to 38% in the name of physical distancing — it would help the restaurateur get his business reopened. Fansler scrapped those plans when he received...
Customers Pay $1,000 Fine Levied by City After Fresno Restaurant Reopens
Bacon sizzled. Eggs were cracked. Customers filled up the parking lot and tables of a northwest Fresno restaurant Friday morning. The 'Waffle Shop' is back open for breakfast. The customers' cacophony was a throwback to before the pandemic began sweeping across the globe. But there were still reminders of the phantom...
California Sees Possible Restaurant Openings on Horizon
LOS ANGELES — For Marc Simon, the president of Rubio’s Coastal Grill, the challenge for restaurants amid the coronavirus crisis is not just reopening their doors, it's rebuilding trust with customers. "If we don't do that — we don't rebuild confidence — this way back is going to be much...
California Restaurants Envision Big Changes in Reopening
LOS ANGELES — California restaurants have drafted a plan to allow the industry to reopen for sit-down dining with an array of safeguards while avoiding possible requirements imposed in other states that customers have their temperature taken or the number of tables be dramatically limited. The recommendations, obtained by The...
Temperature Checks, Fewer Tables? 'Draconian,' Say Restaurant Owners
Temperature checks could be required of you. Masks and gloves might be mandatory for your server. Fewer tables might be a requirement for your favorite restaurant. Gov. Gavin Newsome laid out these possible changes as he and other state leaders looked ahead as part of a plan on how to...
The Most VIP Super Bowl Weekend Costs $1.5M, Includes Butler
MIAMI — Private jet service, a personal butler, or how about a meal with former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski to top off Super Bowl weekend? From legendary nightclubs to exclusive parties, no place caters to the rich and famous quite like glitzy Miami. The city’s most luxurious hotels, clubs and...