Are they safe? We visit 50 Kansas City area restaurants in 5 counties amid COVID-19
At Chappell’s Restaurant & Sports Museum in North Kansas City, the server wore his mask like a chin strap. It covered neither his nose or mouth. No other servers wore masks at all.
“We’re reading our customers’ needs and wants,” said Angelo Gangai, the restaurant’s managing partner. None are complaining about lack of masks, he said, although Clay County requires them.
Meantime, none of the employees inside Giovanni’s Italian Deli & Pasta in Gladstone wore masks one day last week. Jars of salt, red pepper and grated Parmesan cheese sat atop each table where any diner could touch them. The place is small. There’s little room for social distancing.
“We have lots of return customers,” owner Sam Liberto said. “They don’t have any problems.”
Over the past month, restaurants across the Kansas City area have been allowed to reopen their dining rooms after COVID-19 shutdowns. But are they safe?
To find out, The Star this past week dispatched reporters to the five main counties in the area: Johnson, Wyandotte, Jackson, Clay and Platte. We visited 50 restaurants, 10 in each county — from a Chik-fil-A in Liberty to Cafe Provence in Prairie Village, a barbecue joint in Blue Springs to a a Mexican restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas — to see the precautions they take to limit the coronavirus spread. The effort is similar to a Star story last month that looked at 50 stores in the five counties.
The unscientific results are perhaps unsettling in a few instances — masks on customers are a rarity — but the findings are more likely to come as comfort to most would-be diners.
Red Robin employees in Liberty, for example, have their temperature taken before starting every shift. (Roxanne’s Cafe in Parkville and Kyoto Sushi & Steak in Overland Park do the same.) All the Red Robin employees wore masks on a recent day. Menus are disposable. Diners were separated by at least 6 feet and all tables are sanitized after each party. If there’s a line to eat, diners wait outside or in their cars.
Most restaurants, at a time when COVID-19 deaths surpass 110,000 nationally, clearly understand what is at stake, visits showed. From mid-March to mid-May, they were forced to either close completely or eke out business by relying on takeout or delivery service. Not all have chosen to reopen.
Of the 50 restaurants, overall:
▪ Every employee wore a mask at 70% of restaurants (35 of 50). But that rate varied across counties, from 90% in Johnson and Jackson to 40% in Wyandotte.
▪ No masks were worn by employees at 16% of restaurants (8 of 50.) The remainder were at 50% or less.
▪ Some 92% of restaurants made efforts to space diners at least six feet apart, by separating, closing or removing tables.
▪ All had instituted either disposable menus, menu boards or laminated menus that could be cleaned. But cleaning menus seemed sporadic.
▪ Three-fourths had hand sanitizer that was readily available for customers.
▪ About two-thirds posted signs promoting safety, some simply encouraging social distancing.
▪ Customers rarely wear masks. At only 1 of 50 was every customer seen with one before being seated. At 40% of restaurants, no customers came in with masks.
The restaurants operate under an often confusing patchwork of city, county and state health mandates or, more commonly, recommendations.
Jackson and Clay counties recently upped their capacity limits to 50%. Neither Kansas City proper nor Johnson County have such mandates, but tables are supposed to be at least six feet apart. Kansas City and Clay County require servers to wear masks.
For the most part, it is up to individual businesses to decide on what precautions to take.
“Restaurant owners and employees are under a lot of pressure right now,” said Megan Garrelts, co-owner of Rye in Leawood, which we visited, and on the Country Club Plaza. “You want to do a lot for the people who want (a lot of precautions), but then you don’t want to be overzealous for the people who don’t believe in this. It’s a very weird world to be in the service industry right now.”
Some of what was seen in each county:
Johnson County
Johnson County health officials last month dropped their COVID-19 mandates and now leave it to businesses and residents to follow social distancing recommendations.
The Mud Pie Vegan Bakery & Coffee in Overland Park is open a few days a week, but is still relying on curbside pickup. Customers who want to sit head to the outside patio.
“Our employees and our family have a lot of concerns,” said co-owner Ashley Valverde, “so we decided to take it really slow when we opened up. It’s been a hard hit. When we’re open, we’re still about half as busy as before we were closed.”
All staff wear masks and gloves. Valverde plans to install Plexiglas sneeze guards and floor markings for social distancing before she reopens indoor dining.
At Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Leawood, two men sat alone, eating pulled pork sandwiches at tables six feet apart. Kitchen staff deep cleaned utensils. Dozens of tables and chairs were pushed to the edges of the room, and every other booth was closed off.
One customer, walked in wearing a mask and was instructed to follow the one-way path. Signs on social distancing were set between laminated menus taped on the walls.
An employee in a mask greeted the customer at the register from behind Plexiglas. “This is so bizarre,” the customer muttered, then pulled down her face mask to order.
At Kyoto Sushi & Steak in Overland Park, groups of customers cannot sit at adjacent tables. And the hibachi table, where a masked chef prepares meals in the center, is limited to parties of fewer than 10 people.
A number of chain restaurants have similar protocols. Panera in Mission was mostly empty around lunchtime on a weekday afternoon, except for one table where two customers chatted. Employees all wore masks. Hand sanitizer was available right inside the door. About half of the tables were marked “unavailable” or repurposed as cleaning stations.
Other restaurants posted cautionary signs and offered hand sanitizer, including Conroy’s Public House in Leawood. The restaurant did not require employees to wear masks. Several customers sat at the bar, with a couple of stools separating them, served by a bartender who wasn’t wearing a mask.
At Rye KC in Leawood, meantime, all employees wore masks. Its outdoor patio, which can seat 80, is open to serve more customers — perhaps a draw for those who know that the coronavirus is less likely to spread outside. Customers inside are still instructed to social distance.
“I would say about 90% of people coming out to eat are not wearing masks,” Garrelts said. “But then we also had one table of four people who all wore masks and gloves, took them off and sanitized their hands before eating. I’ve only seen one table behave that way.”
Jackson County
None of the staff inside King’s Table Soul Food Restaurant were wearing masks. But the Prospect Avenue place, tiny, holding just over 50 people maximum, was relatively empty.
Owner Carlos White, 40, stepped over to the kitchen to grab his. “I got me a Superman,” he said, his mask patterned with the superhero’s shield. He quickly put it on.
On busy Sundays, White said, he will take customers’ temperatures, although he didn’t have the thermometer with him. No booths or tables were marked as being closed. But, he said, they do socially distance customers.
“We get ’em in, get ’em out. Sanitize,” he said.
Menus are laminated, cleaned with Clorox spray. The place has bought a tent to put up for outside seating.
Niece’s Restaurant, 6141 Troost Ave., serves a lines of cars every morning for curbside pickup, but not yet dine-in. Servers all had masks.
At some restaurants, safety measures are hit or miss. A server at Chelly’s Cafe in Waldo took a used laminated menu and restacked it in the hostess station without sanitizing it. Owner Ruben Campos said the staff is supposed to wipe them down and is typically earnest in doing so.
BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ is often packed on nice nights. When the bands start, it can be standing room only.
Before reopening for dine-in service, the south Kansas City restaurant closed for a week and a half to clean. The dining room opened with a bottle of sanitizer on each available table.
Some of the regulars still order food to-go, many wearing masks. Customer Tina Rodriquez, who was dining in, did not wear one.
“I’m not afraid of this thing going on,” she said of the pandemic. “People are blowing it out of proportion.”
In Lee’s Summit, the Whistle Stop Coffee and Mercantile has posted a Jackson County safety list showing at least 25 precautions. Lids for cups are provided by staff, not for customers to grab. No bulk food bins for self-service. Pens, stylus and credit card stations are disinfected after each use. Employees are checked for symptoms before they can enter.
“It’s for customers to feel welcome and safe inside,” said manager Rebekah Miller.
P. Moore & Moore BBQ in Independence opened to dine-in customers within the month. They, too, have a checklist posted.
Patricia Moore, who co-owns with her husband, Gary, said they allow about two dozen customers inside at a time.
Cynthia Garcia, a medical assistant from Kansas City, Kansas, came in for a takeout order. She’d only recently begun considering eating out in public again.
“They have their masks on,” Garcia said.
It made her feel safe.
Wyandotte County
A customer stepped through the doors of Granite City Food & Brewery in The Legends and was greeted by a hostess — who ran a thermometer across his forehead.
“You’re OK. Welcome,” she said, allowing him into the dining area.
“We take everyone’s temperature in here,” she said.
Customers were not wearing masks, but every worker was. And gloves.
“I go through about a box of gloves a day,” said bartender Allie Grobe. “We can’t pick up at one table then serve at another, without changing gloves.” County health officials say every restaurant and bar worker “should wear masks at all times and gloves.”
Sometimes customers get irritated.
“Because we are sanitizing and changing gloves and it takes us a little longer to get to each table,” she said.
Several owners aren’t ready to return to dine-in service. The county is among the hardest hit by COVID-19 in Kansas.
Caribe Blue, which serves Puerto Rican fare, opened four days before the COVID-19 stay-at-home order relegated them to takeout only.
“For us it has been a blessing because we are doing fine,” said owner Geraldine Romero. Workers wore masks behind the counter where customers placed orders. A bottle of sanitizer sat near the register.
She said it will be “maybe a month” before they offer dine-in service. “I tell my customers I’m thinking about you and us. Because if someone gets sick we gotta close down.”
A few doors away at Breit’s Stein & Deli, nine men sat around a table toward the back of the tiny restaurant. None wore masks. Nor did the owner or the waitress.
“I would prefer if they would sit outside,” owner Bob Breitenstein. A few folks did.
Sanitizer sat near the cash register. No one got up to use it.
“We sanitize like mad in here,” Brietenstein said. He’s removed tables, set the remainder six feet apart. Of the restaurants checked in the county, it was the only one where no one wore masks.
At Jazz, a Louisiana Kitchen, each table had a sticker with a QR code for customers’ phones: “It’s our paperless menu,” said Kylee Johnson, hostess.
She said most are happy to maintain distance. “But some of them say they don’t see the need.”
At Stix, an Asian restaurant in The Legends, soon after the laminated menus were used, hostess Christine Preston carefully sprayed them with a mixture of Clorox and water.
The restaurant was buzzing with the sounds of diners, but a sign at the sushi bar said it is closed due to COVID-19.
At Jose Pepper’s location at The Legends, every worker wore a mask. Some are made of clear plastic, said manager George Chavez, so customers can see workers’ smiles.
Platte County
“Safety Plan Guidelines” are plastered on the door of Roxanne’s Cafe in Parkville: single-serve condiments, employee temperature checks, surfaces sanitized frequently.
At the hostess stand: a white box with the words “Drop-in CDC tracking” for customers to leave contact information.
Platte County requires six feet between tables. No communal seating with other parties. No more than 10 people at a table.
But there’s no requirement on capacity. No rules about menus. Masks are recommended for servers, but are not required.
The two servers at Roxanne’s didn’t wear masks..
The tables filled quickly at the 54th Street Grill & Bar in Zona Rosa.
Each closed booth was marked by a display of wipes, sanitizers, paper towels and crisply folded black napkins. At the bar, one empty bar stool separated two corner customers. The bartender placed a large plastic jar of sanitizing wipes on the bar top.
Safety placards displayed the “54th Street Promise,” a list of other endeavors: not leaving condiments, silverware, glassware or other items on an unoccupied table.
Another sign urged customer to “Do Your Part” by wearing masks, washing or sanitizing their hands frequently. It also posted a “certificate of disinfection” to show that employees are using Enviro-Master’s Virus Vaporizer.
Nick & Jake’s in Parkville had sanitizer in its foyer and wait area as part of its “commitment to you” promise posted at the door. On entering Riverpark Pub and Eatery in Parkville, customers see a sign: “Open for Business. Parkville Proud.” It lists guidelines the establishment follows: physical distancing, cleaning and sanitizing high-touch areas. A large bottle of sanitizer sat at the center of the dining room alongside an even larger trophy.
No, said, Dalton Lightner, general manager of Riverpark, most of his customers aren’t concerned about the coronavirus. Most don’t wear masks.
Not all customers are comfortable with that. Lightner accommodates.
“They want to be 20 feet from the nearest person,” he said. “One wanted to be in a room by himself, so we sat him in this side dining room.”
Gary and Chris Potts of Raymore went for a drive Wednesday, stopping for a treat at the Culver’s in The Village at Burlington Creek off Interstate 29.
But while they could dine in, the couple chose the outdoor patio. One daughter is a nurse who has warned them of the severity of the COVID-19 cases she has witnessed The other daughter has an 18-month-old son and new daughter whom they babysit.
They don’t plan to dine inside a restaurant until a vaccine is available. And even then they might take a “wait and see” period to see how it plays out.
Clay County
Dixie Edwards has been managing her diner, Nellie Belle’s Cafe, in Claycomo for 28 years. Even before she began running it, she and her ex-husband owned it. It was once called Nellie’s. She added the “Belle” and got the place in the “Big D,” she said. “Divorce.”
Small and painted bright pink, Nellie Belle’s is not much larger than a railroad boxcar. It’s a counter with a handful of tables. Workers from the Ford plant frequent it. Diners smoke inside.
Neither she not her staff wears masks, and only about half of her customers do. She’s turned chairs over and put them on top of tables to separate diners. Menus are paper, disposable. Ketchup bottles, mustard bottles, cream or sugar: All the stuff that used to be on the table is put aside. They bring it to customers who ask, then wipe it down, sanitize after they leave. Tables, also. If too many people show, they eat outside at a picnic table in her gazebo.
Business is at 35% of what is was before the virus, she said. “They’re coming back slowly, but surely,” Edwards said. She’d love to see more. “I still think a lot of people are afraid of getting out.“
In North Kansas City, the manager at Chicken N Pickle wore a mask, but his nose stuck out above it. All other staff wore masks and most wore gloves.
A family, without masks, played pickleball outside. Patrons were separated indoors and out by at least six feet. Menus were disposable. Signs urging social distancing were apparent throughout the restaurant. The hostess, with a mask, sat behind a sneeze guard.
A few blocks away, Hawaiian Bros. Island Grill has yet to open for indoor dining. Currently, with customers limited to 25% of maximum capacity, it doesn’t make financial sense, said area director Vernon Blazek.
“The magic number for us is probably 75% capacity,” Blazek said. Instead, they’re continuing with takeout and, in fact, are building a third kitchen at the restaurant to serve those clients.
All servers wore masks and gloves. Gloves changed, when a timer sounded, every 30 minutes.
In Liberty, off Missouri 152, a Chick-fil-A had also yet to reopen its dining room because of the capacity limit. Its drive-thru line on a recent day stretched 15 cars long. Staff wearing masks and gloves took orders.
Although Chappell’s server barely wore his mask (he was the only one of four staff members who had one), the restaurant did set up tables six feet apart, used disposable menus and, on a few tables, has small bottles of hand sanitizer.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow did we launch the story?
Our survey was informal, not scientific. But we wanted to provide a snapshot of the precautions restaurants in the Kansas City metro are taking as they are allowed to reopen. We divided up the five most populous counties among four reporters: Sarah Ritter on Johnson County, Eric Adler on Clay, Mará Rose Williams on Wyandotte and Joyce Smith on both Jackson and Platte counties. We asked them to find 10 restaurants in each county that would provide a variety of fast food and table service, local and national. Reporters fed their information to Adler, who wrote the story. Click on the arrow above for more.
What did the reporters do?
The four reporters visited restaurants this past week. They walked in unannounced to see what was happening. The reporters all had a checklist to mark off safety precautions they observed. When necessary, they got a table and paid for food or drink. They also talked to some employees and customers. In some cases, they called the restaurants later for clarity.
This story was originally published June 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
