Which restaurants can you dine in?

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The $5 Hopdoddy deal is a good one. Might have to try that soon. My love for In N Out is strong though...it's my go-to.
 
best_potsticker_in_town said:
The $5 Hopdoddy deal is a good one. Might have to try that soon. My love for In N Out is strong though...it's my go-to.

Agreed, I do In'n'Out at least 2x per week...4 patty hamburger protein style with french fries.
 
Went to Maggianos last weekend.

50% capacity but most tables were full.

They said their big loss is they can?t do large parties/events.
 
It's interesting to see how each restaurant does their safety protocols.

One place (a table service restaurant) we went to would not let you sit inside and order your food. You 6-foot distance order from the counter and then wait outside until they call you. Once they call you, you go to your table and then all the food is served in take-out containers. No condiments at the table, you request it and they give it to you in disposable containers.

Another place is basically the same as pre-Covid, except the server is wearing a mask.

Some places use a disposable menu, others have condensed theirs down to a single or double page for easier sanitation and yet others have gone mobile menu only where you scan a QR code on the table and the menu comes up on your phone.

Most will not take a party larger than 6 or 8. For Father's Day we had to cook and do take-out yesterday.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
It's interesting to see how each restaurant does their safety protocols.

One place (a table service restaurant) we went to would not let you sit inside and order your food. You 6-foot distance order from the counter and then wait outside until they call you. Once they call you, you go to your table and then all the food is served in take-out containers. No condiments at the table, you request it and they give it to you in disposable containers.

Another place is basically the same as pre-Covid, except the server is wearing a mask.

Some places use a disposable menu, others have condensed theirs down to a single or double page for easier sanitation and yet others have gone mobile menu only where you scan a QR code on the table and the menu comes up on your phone.

Most will not take a party larger than 6 or 8. For Father's Day we had to cook and do take-out yesterday.

The QR code is really a no brainer. Less things to wipe down/throw away and probably less costly than having to print/reprint when you change the menu. I was listening to a podcast and one restauranteur said he will never go back to physical menus.
 
I need to be more careful of where we dine-in.

Like those bars you see... some other places are getting packed not due to dine-in patrons, but people waiting for their take-out orders. Luckily they all have to wear masks to be inside but there are few of those people who don't cover their nose and then add that to all the diners who aren't wearing masks and it becomes higher risk.

Another thing I notice is many have gone to individual packets for condiments/sauces.

With the current surge... I'm going to scale back on dining out.... while it's good to see more people eating out... I'm a bit concerned because of the asymptomatic nature of this virus.
 
We went to North Italia this weekend. The couple that invited us said that the patio was open and we could eat out there instead of inside. Story changed when we got there. Patio was only open for bar orders and food is packed "to-go." And no tables out there were available. We opted to eat inside. Service was SLOW.

Tables were distanced and everyone was wearing masks. Kitchen was bustling and they were clearly prioritizing to-go and Doordash orders. We got there at 5pm, seated at 5:30pm, got food at 6:30pm, and out by 7:15pm.

I'll default back to to-go. Heard that an employee there tested positive for COVID recently too. Great.
 
The district Costco had four employees test positive according to a next door post. Hey letter on Costco letterhead was posted on nextdoor as well, it was dated 6/22 if I remember correctly.

I wore two masks and two sets of gloves this weekend when I was there :-)
 
qwerty said:
The district Costco had four employees test positive according to a next door post. Hey letter on Costco letterhead was posted on nextdoor as well, it was dated 6/22 if I remember correctly.

I wore two masks and two sets of gloves this weekend when I was there :-)

Why? They don't work remember? If you die... you die. :)
 
irvinehomeowner said:
qwerty said:
The district Costco had four employees test positive according to a next door post. Hey letter on Costco letterhead was posted on nextdoor as well, it was dated 6/22 if I remember correctly.

I wore two masks and two sets of gloves this weekend when I was there :-)

Why? They don't work remember? If you die... you die. :)

If I die I die but I?m going down swinging!
 
So I guess I'm like qwerty in that I'm contradictory in my actions.

I have high fear of getting Covid, yet I do the high-risk things like eat out.

It was interesting to see how some eateries adjusted to this new "outdoor dining only" order.

Some places have "cheat patios" because although one side can be open, it really is similar to an indoor space.

Luckily, in Irvine, many places have patios and for those that don't, I see that they are making space in the parking lot for seating if they only have indoor seating.

Some places are even setting up lights for when it gets dark, although a lot of eateries have been closing at 8pm.

We were at a place last night and it was nice to eat outdoors, but kind of cold... and the bugs were flying around (it's July now... June bugs go away!).

It's just sad because people have just started eating out again, but all these places without outdoor dining are going to have to suffer (like the KBBQ and Shabu places). The other day I was near a Souplantation and there was a crew demolishing the interior and taking out all the fixtures... I guess there is no chance for them to come back. :(
 
I had All That BBQ on 7/1. I convinced myself that it was okay since we were cooking all the food. We sat near the door so there was a constant breeze of fresh air along with being at least 10 feet away from the next party. It was so damn good. I missed KBBQ so much!
 
best_potsticker_in_town said:
I had All That BBQ on 7/1. I convinced myself that it was okay since we were cooking all the food. We sat near the door so there was a constant breeze of fresh air along with being at least 10 feet away from the next party. It was so damn good. I missed KBBQ so much!

Dang, I sooooo miss KBBQ but not sure I'm ready to go just yet.
 
USCTrojanCPA said:
best_potsticker_in_town said:
I had All That BBQ on 7/1. I convinced myself that it was okay since we were cooking all the food. We sat near the door so there was a constant breeze of fresh air along with being at least 10 feet away from the next party. It was so damn good. I missed KBBQ so much!

Dang, I sooooo miss KBBQ but not sure I'm ready to go just yet.

We did I Can BBQ when they reopened. I figure all those overhead vents suck up the Covid. :)
 
qwerty said:
USCTrojanCPA said:
qwerty said:
Has anyone tried wagyu meat and grill in Buena Park?

They are opening one up in the old baskin Robbins location at culver/Irvine center drive.


Tempted to go up to Buena Park and get take out. Dishes looks good

Oh that looks tasty, when does the Irvine location open?

Not sure. I?m in that plaza a lot so I?ll update the post when it opens.

USC - Wagyu opened up last week. I have not tried it, but plan on getting takeout sometime this week.
 
Bad time to open a restaurant right now.
I would back out of that lease. Let them have the deposit.
But if they already built out the restaurant. I guess roll the dice.
 
eyephone said:
Bad time to open a restaurant right now.
I would back out of that lease. Let them have the deposit.
But if they already built out the restaurant. I guess roll the dice.

I agree but I've already seen one restaurant in Irvine open during this pandemic and I see 2 more on the way. All 3 of them are in Irvine Company plazas so maybe TIC is giving them a break to open or maybe they can't back out.
 
Diamond Jamboree has made part of their parking lot outdoor dining for all those eateries on the northeast corner (where Kicking Crab is).

I see a lot of this converted outdoor space to dining... depends on the eatery and how much they want to service dine-out patrons. Some of the places I talk to are doing fine without table service and just continue to do take-out only.

As far as I know... I Can BBQ is the only KBBQ with outdoor dining in Irvine but I haven't really looked at the other spots.
 
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