'It's scary': Restaurants look for ways to cope with new restrictions

After five years of running their businesses in a sluggish St. Mary economy, restaurant owners learned Monday about a new obstacle: new restrictions imposed to control the spread of COVID-19.
“It’s scary,” said Joe Arias Jr., manager of the Bayou Vista Tampico’s, within hours of learning that Gov. John Bel Edwards had ordered Louisiana restaurants to be limited to takeout and delivery orders. “I feel guilty about fussing before.”
Monday’s order from the governor prohibits onsite dining at restaurants, closed bars, casinos and movie theaters, and reduced the allowable size of gatherings to 50 from 250. On the same day, the Governor’s Office announced that 136 Louisiana people had tested positive for the virus, and three of them have died.
About 1,500 people work in accommodations and food service in St. Mary Parish, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The majority of Tampico’s business is dine-in, Arias said.
Limited to go orders and takeout, Tampico’s may have just enough work for one person to answer the phone and two cooks, working shifts. The wait staff will see the biggest impact, Arias said.
Currently, the restaurant employs 30.
“We’re worried just like everyone else,” Arias said. “We were struggling already with the oilfield.”
Across the river in Morgan City, Attecia Alston, who owns the Atchafalaya Cafe with her husband Clay, was closing up after the restaurants lunch sitting.
The cafe is housed in what was once a Burger Chef, so it has a drive-up window.
But like Arias, Alston said she’s worried for the seven waitresses among the 18 employees.
“The waitresses depend on tips,” Alston said. “We’re trying to figure out how they can pay their electric bills and feed their babies.”
She’s confident her husband will agree that they have to do something to help their employees, but they don’t know what yet.
In the meantime, they’re trying to cope with what looks like at least a month of COVID-19 restrictions and other problems, like the customer who took bathroom tissue from the restaurant Saturday night.
She’s wondering if the restaurant could set up tables in the parking lot for diners during the restricted period.
“It’s a scary thing,” Alston said.