Restaurants that have adjusted to the pandemic, from left: Chun Chun Rice Dog, Fuji Bakery, Seattle Best Tea, and Purple Dot Cafe. Photo by Ashley Chen/NWAW
By Ashley Chen and Da Nguyen
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Sitting inside restaurants is such a relaxing time—from the moment a waiter asks how many people are in your party to walking your full stomach to the front to pay the check. As Covid-19 is slowing down, many restaurants have reopened to those with vaccination cards, but they’ve all incorporated small changes to keep everyone safe.
Honey Court
Sales in November at Honey Court Restaurant have been slow, but business since the height of the pandemic has slowly increased. Before vaccination cards were required, Honey Court put out a giant bottle of hand sanitizer for customers to use, but over time, people started stealing the hand sanitizer bottle.
Purple Dot Cafe
One object that stood out at Purple Dot Cafe was a temperature-hand sanitizing fusion. This unique device accomplished two safety measures in one go. Other requirements include masks and proof of vaccination. Even with restrictions in place, Purple Dot Cafe is still operating at about 50% capacity.
Chun Chun Rice Dog
Chinatown’s Rice Dogs are as popular as ever, with the waiting line extending far beyond the store. Since the area inside the building is so small, Chun Chun switched up their protocol: order inside, wait outside. Inside the restaurant, the cashier and customer are separated by a plastic barrier, one more layer of protection beyond the face mask. In order to protect people, the cost has been shorter and less frequent interactions.
Fuji Bakery
The inside of Fuji Bakery is no longer what it was. What used to be a small corner cafe has turned into a small window on the side of King Street to take orders. Looking inside, there are stacks of baked goods where people used to sit, and many of the staff reminisced about how they loved serving customers inside.
Chengdu Memory
Most of us know the general things restaurants have done—vaccine card checks, social distancing signs, and extra cleaning. Chengdu Memory took it one step further: using disposable plates and utensils.
Seattle Best Tea
Seattle Best Tea also took many similar measures to ensure the safety of its customers, such as moving the customer wait line outside, but they also reflected on how their business was impacted. In addition to having complete staff vaccinations and face masks at all times, Seattle Best Tea had to lay off workers.
Ashley and Da can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.