How was it out there last night?

[Robin Garr]

I'm seeing scattered reports of crowds in the outdoor dining areas along Baxter, Bardstown, Frankfort Avenue, St. Matthews etc., last night. We hit Irish Rover for takeouts early and didn't notice any craziness, but I'm wondering what it looked like later. Were any of you out there, either dining or working? What was it like?

I can tell you that today is much busier than what's been normal the past few months, just based on the number of cars parked on Baxter Avenue.

[Robin Garr]

Yeah, the auto traffic around St. Matthews and Crescent Hill was way up yesterday afternoon toward evening. Maybe not back to the old normal, but more cars moving around than I've seen for weeks.

I saw some pretty decent crowds at some places, including a few that were bending the six feet thing a bit. I went to Taco Luchador and things were way spread out, ate inside, very impressed. With the food too, as usual.

I'm curious to know how the outdoor dining is going. Seems great until, like last night, sudden storms hit. Most of the places I see have little cover, and one of those table umbrellas won't help when the rain is pouring at 45 degrees. Other times, people could grab their food and pile into the bar. Not at option yet.

[Robin Garr]

I wondered about that too, Silvio. That was quite a storm between 6 and 7! I was kind of surprised to see very little (i.e., no) social media chatter today.

I have a question. I was wondering if the restaurants that are opening up for dining (using all the recommendations for a safe opening regarding sanitation and distancing) have a game plan for if/when distancing and face mask wearing goes out the window? I would love to support our local independents and goodness knows I miss dining out. I see new and pretty patios opening up and they sure look inviting. I think that with 6 ft. distancing between tables and with restaurants using any added sanitation precautions diners would be safe.
However-
How prepared are your staff when other diners insist on imposing their recklessness on others?
I’ve in Oldham County where, it would seem, the “NO FACE MASK!!!” ideology is the new code of political honor. Shopping out here in a mask is like wearing an “I’m open for any/all verbal abuse” sign. Since decent dining options are few and far between out here (yeah some, not nearly enough) I was wondering if there’s some sort of game plan when those folks choose to dine across the county line? Let’s face it, restaurants are going to be hit with trouble making diners that refuse to co operate and are willing to endanger others. Then add a bunch of alcohol to the mix.
I hope there are plans in place to ensure the safety of your diners. Or, should we just stay home? I’m not being sarcastic, I’m just trying to make plans.

[Robin Garr]

Those are very good questions, Carla. I'll be curious to see what kind of answers we get. If any, I might add ... I think maybe if I ran a restaurant I'd want to keep that strategy to myself until I needed it.

Not only will I not be participating in the reopening of restaurants, I'm also not going to do any of my usual delivery/carryout for a month or so until things calm way down and whatever spike inevitably results from this is fully known. I didn't stay inside for two months to have someone at a restaurant cough COVID on my carry-out and get me sick anyway.

[Robin Garr]

Better safe than sorry, Ron. I don't blame you for your caution. I think a lot of us are operating on the conventional wisdom that you don't get covid-19 though eating, but that food is mighty close to your eyes and nose. Mmmm.

I've been at work every day since this started, got take out 1-2 times per week, and dined out at both Riverhouse and The Exchange on Friday.

People have been crowded in grocery and department stores since the beginning. I'm going to start venturing out more and more.

Better safe than sorry, Ron. I don't blame you for your caution. I think a lot of us are operating on the conventional wisdom that you don't get covid-19 though eating, but that food is mighty close to your eyes and nose. Mmmm.

My concern isn't so much getting it through eating, but getting it through environmental exposure. Waiting in line for a pick-up order or going through a seating area to pick up at the bar, or the wait staff--who have to be around unmasked people eating and breathing--getting it, then transmitting it to the back of house staff. Or the wait staff getting it and giving it to delivery people. Or, based off of the anecdotal evidence I'm hearing about people confronting folks wearing masks in public, some idiot getting in my face because I've got a gaiter on. I was much more confident getting take-out when the seating areas and outdoors stations were closed than I am now.

I have the utmost confidence in pretty much every place I go to keep things as clean and safe as possible, and I have the utmost confidence some jackass is going to be spitting on door handles or coughing on people. So, essentially, I'm looking to avoid the sorts of people who go rushing back to restaurants and bars the moment they can because COVID is a liberal conspiracy. Never mind the fact that just today a friend's aunt went on a ventilator in the ICU because of her infection.

[Robin Garr]

You speak wisdom, Ron. I think most people want this to be over so bad that we start thinking if you can't see a virus, there must not be one there.

You speak wisdom, Ron. I think most people want this to be over so bad that we start thinking if you can't see a virus, there must not be one there.

I have friends who own restaurants and friends who work in restaurants, and I know they're all dying for business to get back to normal, but I also know none of them are particularly interested in dying BECAUSE business gets back to normal.

To try to address Carla's question, when things eventually loosen all the way back up and masks and social distancing are not required, I don't anticipate any problems with customers who want to continue wearing masks or being seated at a table that is distant from other tables (when and where applicable). In the before times we would occasionally get customers with health concerns that would wear masks for their own safety and that was never an issue. As for other customers being rude or disruptive, that policy is also not going to change. Respecting other guests is not optional. If someone is disrespectful to someone who chooses to (or not to) wear a mask, they will be asked to respect other guests and if they cannot comply they will be asked to leave. If the situation in any way puts a guest in immediate peril, the offending party will be asked to leave immediately. I've not seen this be an issue in the three weeks we've been open. Everyone seems to be overjoyed to be back out doing and eating in restaurants.

We are all working so very hard to get this right and do this safely, I cannot imagine any responsible establishment allowing knuckleheads to screw it up for everyone.

Ron H addressed my concerns pretty succinctly. Again, I’m not so much concerned about the restaurant as an establishment, my concern is about the countless jacklegs out there wanting to show the world how brave they are. And, as I said, adding alcohol to the mix will only multiply the problems. You haven’t seen disruption in your area? Count your blessings because we’ve seen it in Oldham County and the home median costs out here are not shabby.
And Ronnie D., please define “immediate peril.”