What to do — and not do — as WA restaurants fully reopen from COVID-19 restrictions

Savvy restaurant-goers have learned in recent weeks that you must make a reservation for the most popular spots in town, that you must hover like a hawk to snag that shady patio table, and that pandemic-era restrictions — from capacity counts to masking requirements — have loosened like a pair of Levi’s.

Packs of 20- and 30-somethings saunter down Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, hopping from bar to bar. Live music, cold drinks and great pizza draws groups big and small, young and old to an outdoor bar in Puyallup, on a Thursday by 5 p.m. no less. The talk of Gig Harbor on a Saturday revolves around which waterfront restaurant has any chance of an open table, for lunch or dinner.

It’s as if the long, blue-sky, wondrous sunset days on either side of the solstice have wrangled South Sounders from behind their takeout boxes and into the streets. We are quite hungry and very thirsty and no doubt looking toward a “post-pandemic” future.

As of June 30 in Washington state, pandemic business restrictions officially lift. You can go to a bustling restaurant, sit at the bar, drink ‘til liquor licenses allow (usually 2 a.m.) and gather in large groups. If you’re vaccinated, you can ditch the mask.

Though high time for celebration after a year-plus of isolation and masked interactions, Washington state is not suddenly, totally devoid of worry — especially outside the highly vaccinated environs of King County, where more than 70 percent of residents over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated since June 21, according to county data. Per the state Department of Health, two others — San Juan and Jefferson — have surpassed 60 percent, and five others including Snohomish, Whatcom, Thurston and Chelan 50 percent. Despite being two of the four most-populous counties, Pierce and Spokane hover around 45 percent.

What does this mean for visits to restaurants? In places like Pierce County, it means you’re just as likely to sit at the bar next to a vaccinated person as you are to an unvaccinated one. For that reason, some restaurants continue to ask staff and guests to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. Others will stick with their walk-up windows or outdoor-only setups until vaccination rates among younger subsets of the population dramatically increase.

That part of the pie has dwindled in size though, with many more dropping their mask mandates, especially when they know their staff is fully vaccinated and trusting that only patrons who are will don their pretty smiles once again.

At the state Department of Health and at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, when asked about how we should all proceed into the rest of 2021, the refrain was the same.

“As you know, people who are fully vaccinated can return to full dining rooms and crowded bars knowing vaccines offer protection from getting COVID-19,” said Karen Irwin, spokesperson for TPCHD. “If it has been less than two weeks since your final dose, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are not fully protected and should continue all prevention measures until you are fully vaccinated.”

At DOH, spokesperson Ginny Streeter emphasized that per state regulations, unvaccinated people are expected to wear masks in public settings. (Currently, masks are required for everyone in certain settings such as healthcare facilities and schools.) Science has shown that masks work, she said by email.

“This is why unvaccinated individuals still need to wear masks while in public places. Science has also proven that vaccinations are effective in protecting against COVID-19,” Streeter said.

The Governor’s Office pointed to the Healthy Washington plan, which says that when the state reopens, businesses “may return to usual capacity and operations.”

In this moment, restaurants are dealing with a strange sort of triple-whammy, one they are as excited for as they are nervous.

Sig Brewing, for instance, opened during the pandemic, bringing wild seltzers, awesome brews and inspired food to downtown Tacoma. Executive chef Hailey Hernandez told The News Tribune she was thrilled at the idea of finally filling the restaurant and seating guests at the bar, but simultaneously, “It definitely feels like we just ran an entire marathon as an industry and then now, instead of getting a break, we’re about to run an entire larger, crazier marathon.”

On top of that, she said, temperatures are unreasonably hot for largely un-air-conditioned kitchens and every restaurant needs more qualified, trained staff than they can find.

What should you know when you sit down?

Perhaps most importantly, be patient

In addition to fewer workers, restaurants are likely also wrangling with product shortages — not so much due to a lack of chicken in America but because of a lack of delivery drivers. Staff might be newly trained or simply out of practice, not quite back in the groove of standing on their feet for several hours running to and fro.

Restaurants are grappling with how to accommodate takeout orders in conjunction with full-fledged on-site business — again, likely with less staff than they would have in an ideal world. The ideal world has shifted, and no one is quite sure what it might look like in the coming months and years.

Don’t get sticker shock

Is your bill higher than you expected? It might be because the restaurant is charging more because it is paying more for the product — a hidden cost the customer can’t see.

“Nobody is doing it because they want to,” said Hernandez. “They are doing it because they have to.”

Make a reservation if the restaurant offers it

After months of uncertainty and instability, more restaurants rely on reservations. Check their website or call, preferably outside the lunch or dinner rush. Others might cap the time spent per table to maximize table-turns and thus profits, but others — like Thirsty Hound Drinkery in University Place — don’t want to detract from their neighborhood bar appeal.

“We encourage customers to relax, take their time and enjoy the evening,” said owners Malaty and Rik Filion in an email, but it’s tough to gauge if a party is popping in for a drink or kicking back for a couple hours.

If you’re just getting a drink, say so. If you’re celebrating a birthday with 10 people and plan to stay for dessert, ensure your server knows.

“Full capacity” will differ among WA restaurants

Without capacity restrictions and distancing requirements, restaurants can, theoretically, return to close-proximity tables and elbow-to-elbow seating at the bar. “We can and will fill the restaurant,” said Hernandez at Sig. “We miss having people sitting at the bar the most,” said Rik Filion at Thirsty Hound. But that doesn’t mean that every restaurant will look that way.

Many won’t return to their pre-pandemic floor plan, whether for reasons of guest and staff comfort, or necessity.

“Restaurants are going to see a boom. Their biggest challenge is finding enough workers,” said Anthony Anton, president of the Washington Hospitality Association, estimating at a press conference on Tuesday that the industry in Washington state needs about 80,000 more workers to fill demand. “Please show grace to the workers who are there.”

Tip kindly and ask where it’s going

The pandemic provided a turning point for wages in the restaurant industry, where servers and bartenders usually took home tips on top of a $13-plus minimum wage in Washington state. Now, pooled houses, the industry term for sharing tips among front-of-house staff, are more common; to equalize the historically lower wages in the kitchen, many restaurants share that pot with the cooks.

If you’re curious where your generous tip will end up, ask. If you want to know more about the service charge automatically added to your bill, ask. A good answer will sound like the right answer.

Relax — we’re here, together

“The resiliency of our industry has been inspiring,” said Anton. Changes made in the moment — to-go cocktails, digital menus, thoughtful takeout — not only helped in a time of crisis but also improved business for the future.

A common refrain from restaurant owners, workers and supporters alike is their pedestal as a place to gather, to celebrate, to relax. As a bartender at favorite Tacoma watering hole Doyle’s Public House said in March, reflecting on a year of pandemic living, “They just come in to try and get a little relief, just like we come in and try to get them to do that as well.”

As June 30 comes and goes, that sentiment will remain as true as ever. We are all eager to hang out, chill out, raise a glass and feast with friends. Let’s make sure the people who help make that happen do, too.

This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 11:00 AM with the headline "What to do — and not do — as WA restaurants fully reopen from COVID-19 restrictions."