Some restaurants adapt, others shutter during pandemic

Local restaurants have either closed entirely or are only offering takeout due to dine-in closures ordered by Gov. Steve Bullock due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. In addition, some establishments have stopped taking cash.

Gunsight Saloon, Three Forks Grille, Uptown Hearth, Glacier Distilling and The Trap Line Cafe and Grill have all shut their doors for the remainder of the coronavirus epidemic, owners or managers told the Hungry Horse News last week.

Gunsight Saloon had begun following the Flathead City-County Health Board March 17 restaurant recommendations of transitioning to takeout, said chef Cori Armaly in a recent interview. However, the restaurant saw minimal interest after the transition, said Armaly, and decided to close just a couple days later. The Saloon is part of the Tupelo Group restaurant collective composed of Whitefish restaurants Tupelo Grille and Abruzzo Italian Kitchen which for now has been whittled down to a limited takeout menu of Tupelo and Abruzzo favorites at the Abruzzo’s location, said Armaly.

The Trap Line Cafe and Grill in Coram also closed when they did not get enough of a response after transitioning to takeout only, said staff.

Nearly all the restaurants that spoke with Hungry Horse News have shaved time off their normal business hours, decreased the number of days per week they are open, and have had to make significant cuts to their staff.

Several restaurants saw temporary layoffs of up to 75% of their workers. Some of those layoffs, noted several managers, were self-imposed by staff who were glad to eliminate their exposure in the workplace. All employers labeled layoffs as temporary, with the full intention of rehiring everyone once the epidemic subsides.

Backslope Brewery, Montana Coffee Traders and Glacier Grill and Pizza have all created pickup windows, no longer allowing customers to enter their buildings and further limiting customer-employee interaction. Vaqueros and North Fork Pizza have moved to curbside pickup only, where customers must call and indicate which vehicle to bring food out to. Those that still allow customers in their establishments to pick up takeout, like Stageline Pizza and Tien’s Place Oriental Dining try to limit it to two people at a time, staying at least six feet apart. Stageline has delineated six-foot spacing for customers and employees with red tape on the floor. The Nite Owl and Backroom bring food to customers waiting in their take away lobby.

All businesses have encouraged customers to prepay for meals over the phone while placing orders, again to limit exposure times. Most restaurants say a majority of their patrons already do.

When in-person payments are necessary, most establishments employ precautions such as ensuring only customers handling their cards, while only staff handles card readers, or whenever possible, having customers read numbers off their cards. Montana Coffee Traders and Backslope Brewing are no longer taking cash.

Extra sanitation has been a priority mentioned at all restaurants, with many emphasizing sanitizing all card readers, pens and surface areas between every transaction.

Most restaurants noted a decline in sales from the same time in previous years, but those who have remained open have said sales since the restrictions began have been steady. Stageline Pizza, whose normal operations already comply with the current guidelines, noted their sales may even be up from previous years.

Montana Coffee Traders stated bulk bean and stay-at-home coffee equipment sales have been up. Some restaurants have noted a net increase in waitstaff tips from customers expressly wanting to show support during economically stressful times.

All restaurants within the area that have remained open expressed gratitude towards continued community support. Tien Windauer, owner of Tien’s Place, said he still has customers coming from Lakeside, Somers and Bigfork for takeout.

A few restaurants had patrons who don’t order food themselves but will put money down for the next customer’s meal.

Backslope Brewing received a $100 donation from the Whitefish-based company Montana Work Comp Solutions, towards meals for anyone in need.

“Our community is so tight-knit and sharing-- people want to support businesses as much as possible right now and we feel really fortunate in that aspect,” said Columbia Falls Montana Coffee Traders manager Raelynn Darsow.