KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
March 28, 2020
By Natalie Cook Clark
The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect many local businesses, especially restaurants which have been impacted by the in-house dining restrictions. Local restaurants are taking extra precautions to protect their food, as well as their customers.
Casey Castro, owner/chef at Astor Farm to Table.
Restaurants Affected By Coronavirus Pandemic
Whether they’re a national chain, or a mom-and-pop, restaurants are unarguably one of the industries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. While all in-dining experiences are closed, most local restaurants still offer delivery and/or pick-up.
Restaurants Take Extra Precaution
Restaurant operators in the Katy area realize the importance of operating safely and maintaining infection control. They are taking extra precautions to prevent any viral spread and to ensure the safety of their customers.
“Everything has changed since the virus,” says Casey Castro, owner and chef of Astor Farm to Table. “But the precautions have always been there. It’s one of the most important things we do.”
Astor Farm to Table is currently offering delivery and curbside pick-up and often features daily specials. They have also been accepting donations and preparing meals for first responders in the medical community. Donate through their Go Fund Me account.
“We always take extra care in regularly washing hands for 30 seconds,” says Castro. “We wear gloves all the time and make sure that employees who are ill stay home until they are well to work, with a doctor’s note.”
Katy’s Midway BBQ is also taking added precautions.
“As far as sanitation, we follow the 6-feet rule, wipe things down, and change gloves every 15 minutes,” explains Midway BBQ manager Deborah Galegos.
Historic Katy Restaurant Filling a Lot of Orders
The historic BBQ joint in Old Katy is filling a lot of take-out and pick-up orders. They are happy to be able to provide meals for Katy-area families.
Lucy Chao, with Azul Seafood Tapas, says that while business has drastically dropped, they
are still committed to serving the Katy community while working to keep their small business afloat.
“We are a small restaurant so that makes it easier to really manage what we do to ensure everyone’s safety,” says Chao.
Azul Seafood Tapas is offering 10% discounts on pick-up orders (excluding delivery services) and frequently feature discounted rates on family packages that feed up to four diners.
Being More Aware
“We are really being more aware of what we do in the kitchen and constantly changing gloves and wiping down surfaces,” explains Chao.
One favorite Katy-area food truck has chosen to limit their operations out of concern for the community and customers. Daddy Duncan’s BBQ, a popular Katy pop-up BBQ food truck has converted to delivery only.
“We’ve decided to stop food truck pop-ups for the public until further notice,” says Chef Randy Duncan, owner of Daddy Duncan’s BBQ .
Don't Want to Put Customers at Risk
“We feel with the lines and amount of customers we’re known to draw that high risk factors come into play. Although, someone may not be showing symptoms or signs of having the virus they may very well be carrying it,” explains Duncan. “We do not want to put our customers at risk.”
“We will be focusing on BBQ deliveries only until things start to clear up,” explains Duncan. “We’re offering no physical contact through free deliveries.”
What is Your Favorite Local Restaurant?
What are your favorite local restaurants to support during this time?