'We want everyone to be comfortable and happy when we reopen': Despite go-ahead from state, some Tulsa restaurants choose to prolong closures

“I always say, Guinness is like drinking a hug. God knows a lot of us could use one right now,” said the restaurateur, who opened up beer barrel tables outside of his downtown Tulsa McNellie’s location on Friday, allowing parties of four to book them and enjoy beer.

Nelson, founder and CEO of McNellie’s Restaurant Group, said the group’s sites are also bringing back outdoor dining, opening their patios next week for the first time since the virus shutdown.

But indoor dining, he added, likely remains a few weeks away.

“Everyone’s anxious to get back to work. But the data from the state is still concerning, and for a lot of people it’s just a little too soon,” said Nelson, whose restaurant group, unlike others that began reopening their dining rooms Friday, is among the many choosing to wait.

He said feedback from the group’s 700 employees, who were polled for their input, played a part in the decision.

At one restaurant, only two employees reported that they were willing to come back now, he said.

“We’ve always tried to be protective of our employees. We want everyone to be comfortable and happy when we reopen,” said Nelson, whose group includes McNellie’s, El Guapo’s Cantina, Dilly Diner and several others.

In the meantime, the restaurants will continue to offer curbside to-go and delivery, he said.

Also choosing to wait, Justin Thompson, chef and owner of Prhyme steakhouse and Juniper restaurant in downtown Tulsa, said both restaurants will remain closed for at least a few more weeks.

“And that’s based on where we stand now,” he said. “It could all change. There’s just huge holes in the information.”

For restaurateurs who go ahead and reopen, however, Thompson said he doesn’t hold it against them.

“People are all just making the best decisions they know how at this moment,” he said. “No one should be judged if they’re reopening now or if they’re opening in a month or two.

“I know restaurant owners who are reopening, and I applaud them and wish them well.”

Wary of jumping the gun

Thompson said that for him, the biggest argument against reopening now is safety.

“(COVID-19) cases are on the decline in Oklahoma as a whole, as I understand, but in Tulsa they’re not,” he said. “Then there are the federal guidelines for reopening, which is 14 consecutive days of decline in cases. I don’t want to put my staff and customers in further jeopardy if this thing really isn’t under control.”

Thompson added: “We’re going to step back, watch what happens, watch what other people are doing, and make sure that when we reopen, we’re doing it one time. I don’t want to rush to open and find out later we jumped the gun.”

Thompson has held off on offering curbside to-go service — again, taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I was concerned about how much business we would be able to do offering curbside,” he said, adding that he feels more confident now.

Thompson said he expects to start curbside service in two to three weeks and let that pave the way to a full reopening.

Among others choosing to wait, the Mother Road Market is also introducing a curbside to-go service.

The service, featuring seven of the market’s dozen-plus food vendors, kicked off Thursday to a “great” response, said Jeff Thompson, market general manager.

“It was even a little better than we expected,” he said.

He said the plan is to offer the service for three weeks, Thursdays through Sundays, while planning for a staged reopening.

“A full reopening is still in the unknown category for us at this time,” he said. “First and foremost, our priority is the safety of the employees and then a positive shopping and dining experience for everyone.”

Various “creative” possibilities for reopening in stages are being looked at, including reservations and patio-only, he said.

Restaurants that do reopen now must adhere to strict social distancing and sanitation requirements as established by the state’s plan.

For most, the 6-foot distancing between parties likely works out to only every other table being occupied.

That’s another thing, Nelson said, that makes a full reopening impractical for now.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to reopen if a restaurant can only be 50% full,” he said. “It’s just not really worth it.”

He said it will likely be the end of May at the earliest before his dining rooms reopen. The general managers at each restaurant will decide, he said.

In the meantime, he hopes reopening patios — which will be by reservation only — is a step toward a full reopening.

“The patios will allow us to start to get comfortable serving again,” Nelson said.

“Then we’ll see where the data goes,” he said.

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