Seattle eating places can now improve seating capability to 50%, however some restaurateurs say they’re ready

Restaurants can now welcome more customers after Governor Jay Inslee announced the state’s coronavirus infection rate has dropped to the point that bistros, cafes, and other dining options can increase seating capacity from 25% to 50%. You can also grab a cocktail until midnight as the last call has been extended by an hour.

The easing of food restrictions begins Monday, but those looking to cure their cabin fever might be surprised that changing the calendar doesn’t give them as many more indoor dining options immediately.

In interviews with a dozen restaurateurs last week, it became clear that many owners are at least a month away from reopening their dining rooms. Many Seattle restaurants with fewer than 40 seats are not reopening now because the economic calculations of limited seating and high staff and other costs don’t match, several veteran restaurateurs said.

Others who are reopening are taking more time to hire and train staff, buy patio furniture for alfresco dining, and – perhaps the biggest obstacle – wait until their waiters and cooks are fully vaccinated before turning the lights back on .

The famous Capitol Hill Bar Canon will “not reopen until July at the earliest,” said owner Jamie Boudreau. Canon’s dilemma is similar to many bars and small restaurants: the cocktail cave has 42 seats, but with 50% seating capacity and a bar counter ban, its space can only accommodate 12 guests with social distancing. That is not enough business to break even, he said.

Boudreau said he needs at least 75% seating capacity before it reopens, and even then it will take time to hire and train bartenders and replenish his kitchen. No matter how long it takes, he will also require that every waiter, cook and bartender be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment, he said.

“I don’t take the risk of anyone getting sick,” he said. “I can’t afford to close and then open again.”

Last week, Inslee cleared a major hurdle for the service industry when it moved servers, chefs and other restaurant workers to the top of the line for the COVID-19 vaccine starting March 31.

How many restaurant workers can get vaccinated quickly is unclear. According to the Washington Hospitality Association, up to 251,000 servers and other service industry workers will be eligible for the vaccine by the end of this month.

Even if every restaurant employee could get a vaccination appointment in April, it would still be about a month before they’re fully protected, said Marissa Baker, assistant professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and a leading expert on the effects of COVID-19 on jobs.

If the vaccine received was a two-dose vaccine, it would take “five to six weeks” to achieve maximum protection, she said.

Even the vaccine at a dose from Johnson & Johnson would take about a month to provide maximum protection, Baker said.

James Lim, owner of the popular fried chicken shop Watson’s Counter in Ballard, said he will require all of his staff to be vaccinated before considering dining indoors again. He only makes takeout and withholds food indoors until the state lifts seating restrictions as his 24-seat bistro can only accommodate eight guests with 50% capacity and 6 foot social distancing mandates. Eight seats are not generating enough revenue to warrant an increase in staff, he said.

On Beacon Hill, James Beard Award nominee chef Logan Cox of prestigious Homer restaurant said he will not open again to indoor dining until his 12 employees can be vaccinated and his waiters and cooks tell him they are up with customers feel comfortable inside the restaurant. ”His 50-seat dining room only seats 15 under current seating restrictions, but he hopes to make up for the lack of indoor seating with 20 additional seats outside in front of his bistro and in the alley to be able to.