Customers no longer wait in line at Soul Burrito & Wings.
Owners Obi and Nicole Linton have clamped down on how food is ordered at their Susquehanna Township restaurant as cases of COVID-19 spike in central Pennsylvania. Customers have been crowding into the dining room, placing orders and waiting around.
But as of last week, Soul Burrito voluntarily pivoted to 100% online ordering with pickup in an effort to protect customers. It is not accepting walk-in or cash orders.
“We just thought about it. You know what? This is not socially responsible and we don’t want to force people to wait outside in the winter,” Obi Linton said.
The Lintons are also selling frozen burritos, and implemented online ordering early on so customers could learn how to use the technology.
Their decision comes at a time when some restaurant and bar owners in the state are asking for help from Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf, whether it be financial assistance or reduced restrictions. The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association hosted a rally Nov. 18 on the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building as part of the fight for relief.
“We cannot survive any additional restrictions this winter. Our patios are closing, our revenue is dropping dramatically as it is. Our employees have absolutely no emergency resources,” said Dave Magrogan, owner of the Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar chain.
Soul Burrito is not the only establishment to take voluntary precautions. Neato Burrito, a central Pennsylvania-based burrito chain, announced it is also accepting only online or delivery orders. It is no longer taking orders from its to-go windows.
“We will be eliminating window orders as the pandemic rates continue to spike,” it posted on Facebook.
In recent weeks, some Starbucks and Panera Bread locations have shut off indoor seating again. At least two restaurants in Lancaster shut down dining rooms this month and in exchange for takeout only models. Lancaster Online reported Commonwealth Kitchen & Café and the Pressroom, both in Lancaster, switched gears.
“While no one from our staff has tested positive for COVID-19, we are committed to ensuring the safety for all of our guests and staff,” the Pressroom wrote on a Facebook post.
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Some restaurants including a number of Asian establishments such as Fusion Fire Asian Restaurant in Hampden Township and Bangkok 56 in Harrisburg have been operating mostly on takeout-only models since the start of the pandemic.
Staci Basore, co-owner of Mangia Qui and Rubicon in Harrisburg the main emphasis is keeping staff and customers safe. They continue to serve diners outdoors on Friday and Saturday nights and for Sunday brunch and operate limited indoor seating - nine tables at Rubicon and four at Mangia Qui.
However, they are emphasizing takeout and delivery, including full catered meals. They partnered with Tock, a mobile ordering platform, to streamline the delivery and curbside pick-up, and expanded pantry items, prepared foods, complete dinners for two, holiday hors d’oeuvres and at-home catering.
Basore said she’s in favor of some type of financial compensation for restaurants but not necessarily lifting restrictions.
“For us, it has nothing to do with capacity, but more to do with safety. I fully anticipate going more delivery/pick-up because with the newest mandates they are essentially shutting us down without an overt statement to that fact,” she said.
Gov. Wolf has ordered restaurants to operate at 50% indoor capacity with no bar seating. In addition, booze sales are cutoff at 11 p.m. This week, the administration further implemented measures by suspending alcohol sales at bars and restaurants for one night starting at 5 p.m. today for Thanksgiving Eve.
State officials have reported a sharp increase in new coronavirus cases, with the state Department of Health regularly reporting record highs throughout the month of November. On Tuesday, the health department reported 6,669 positive cases, raising the statewide total to more than 321,070 cases. More than 9,951 deaths have been tied to COVID-19 and more than 3,897 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals.
For the Lintons, their recent decision is a personal one. Some of their family members and friends have contracted the virus.
“I have some responsibility to keep people safe,” Obi Linton said. “We are going to take every little bit of action we can possibly take.”
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November 25, 2020 at 05:15PM
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