A D.C. restaurateur, like many other area restaurant owners, is getting ready to receive customers at an outdoor dining setting, as most of the region moves into Phase One of reopenings. For restaurants that have outdoor seating available, their focus has been modifying what they do to keep diners and staff safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

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REOPENING PLANS AROUND THE REGION:

• D.C.
• Northern Virginia
• Montgomery County
• Prince George’s County
• Frederick, Anne Arundel and Charles counties

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“It feels like opening a new restaurant all over again,” chef Geoff Tracy said. Tracy’s Chef Geoff’s in D.C. will open Friday for outdoor dining; then, his other restaurant, Lia’s in Chevy Chase, Maryland, will do the same Monday when Montgomery County moves into Phase One.

Leading up to the opening, Tracy’s restaurants had to adapt their safety practices due to the highly contagious nature of the virus. “We’ve reinvented ourselves about five different times over the last two or three months; this is just another stage of the reinvention,” Tracy said. Servers will now be set up in stations at the D.C. restaurant’s outdoor area and only take orders. There will be designated food-runners and drink-runners who bring orders to tables. Also, one person’s job will be sanitizing tables and chairs once diners leave. “We’re trying to come up with ways to sort of limit the amount of things that people touch,” Tracy said. Other changes include one person at a time in restrooms, with cleanings taking place in between restroom visits. Still, there are the things you cannot plan or prepare for, such as mother nature. “In D.C. during the summer time, you’re used to those afternoon thunderstorms,” he said. The hope for restaurant owners is that the business that comes in during the reopening period will be enough to help them sustain their businesses and retain their employees. Tracy, who had to let some employees go in March, is worried that could happen again if business does not pick up, because funds in a paycheck protection loan he took out are running low. “It’s going to be tough to maintain the payroll, and I really don’t want to have to go through another layoff period like we did in the first couple weeks of March,” Tracy said. Tracy said he and his staff are learning as they go, and he’s hopeful the additional diners will help a struggling industry. He said for his restaurants, revenue is down between 40% and 60%, so the additional diners are needed. As of Thursday night, Tracy said around 100 reservations have come in for his D.C. restaurant for Friday and Saturday nights. “I think there’s going to be a lot of pent-up demand to do it and the question is whether it is something that is a lasting demand,” Tracy said.

This is gonna be our walk up “self service” back patio. Enjoy to go beverages and food here. Our front patio will have “normal” service (on actual plates and stuff) 👍👍. #phaseone pic.twitter.com/t5cEI3HMfC

— Geoff Tracy 💚🥓 (@chefgeoffs) May 28, 2020

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More Coronavirus news

• Sign up for WTOP alerts
• Latest coronavirus test results in DC, Maryland and Virginia
• Coronavirus FAQ: What you need to know
• Coronavirus resources: Get and give help in DC, Maryland and Virginia
• ‘An important first step’: Montgomery Co. to enter Phase 1 of reopening June 1
• Northam: At least a week until Phase II for Va.; new testing sites announced
• DowntownDC report reveals strength of city’s hotel, office markets
• In DC, only select restaurants and bars will reopen Friday

Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.

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