‘Do what is right.’ Why these Coast restaurants haven’t yet opened their dining rooms
Chris Drake II is worried.
His beloved Biloxi restaurant, the Sicilian II, is barely breaking even.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Mississippi, Drake has made enough to pay his servers and “keep the roof over his head. He hasn’t made much, if any profit.
“We’re probably doing 80% less than what we were doing in February,” Drake told the Sun Herald.
Because much of the Italian restaurant’s clientele are 9-5 workers, medical professionals and military, he’s had to close completely for lunch and takes dinner orders to-go. Some nights, he said, he’s so slow that he closes early. Meat prices have recently doubled, too.
But Drake is more afraid of what would happen if his dining room was open like many other restaurants nearby. He’s worried a customer or a member of his two-person staff could get sick. He’s worried what would happen if he caught COVID-19 — he runs the kitchen by himself.
Gov. Tate Reeves allowed restaurants to open dining rooms with social distancing guidelines days before Mother’s Day, one of the busiest weekends for restaurants. Many scrambled to open before the holiday.
But some local restaurants, including the Sicilian II and Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis, have not yet reopened their dining rooms.
Drake stays as informed as he can about the virus and is worried about a second wave. He has family members who are respiratory therapists, and he knows people who have died from COVID-19.
“It’s me and family who run this place. Nobody covers any of us,” Drake said. “I don’t want to contribute to spreading the virus to anybody else, but I can’t afford to get sick myself because I’ll shut down. There’s nobody that can come in and cook for me if I get sick.”
Mockingbird Cafe’s new normal
Across the Coast in downtown Bay St. Louis, things look different inside the Mockingbird Cafe. The tables are pushed up against the walls, and the chairs rest on top of them.
Little bird feet mark 6 feet on the floor so guests can social distance in line while ordering and waiting for coffees, lunch or fresh pastries.
The combination coffee shop, music venue and popular weekend brunch spot was one of the first eateries in the Bay to switch to dine-out as coronavirus cases were announced in March. They also closed completely for a short time as cases peaked on the Coast.
Whitney LaFrance, Mockingbird manager, said there are no immediate plans to reopen the dining room.
“We feel like we have to do what is right to protect our staff and the community we love,” LaFrance said. “They aren’t just nameless faces and numbers, they’re our friends and our neighbors.”
The Mockingbird is open for breakfast and lunch, and has added curbside service and online food ordering on its website. The staff was eager to get back to work and see their regulars, LaFrance said, and people have been lining up to place orders.
“We still have a tremendous amount of love and support from our community,” LaFrance said, adding that out-of state residents have been ordering e-gift cards to “help us make it out on the other side of this thing.”
Reopening dining rooms during COVID-19
Despite Drake’s fears, he can’t afford to keep his dining room closed any longer and has decided to reopen for dinner starting June 2.
The Sicilian II will be reservation-only and will follow strict social distancing guidelines. Drake’s dining room is small, so some tables won’t be used for now. He said he hopes reservations will prevent lines from gathering outside or frustrations if guests see empty tables while they’re on a waiting list.
“I am nervous still about it,” he said. “There’s so much contradicting stuff, you don’t know what to believe, and you want to make the safest choice. I’ve got to protect my family and the kids that work here.”
At the Mockingbird, LaFrance said they’ll continue moving slow and steady and reopen the dining area when they feel it’s safe.
“Because all of this is so new and unprecedented, there are no guidelines on how to do this,” she said. “We’re figuring it out one day at a time.”
