Courtesy of State Sen. Anna Caballero:
On May 13, 2020, the State of California issued an approval for San Benito County to reopen under Stage 2 guidelines. San Benito County was one of the first counties to attest that it was prepared to move towards Stage 2 to reopen dine-in restaurant services to allow the community to enjoy a meal with their family members, with certain safety precautions in place.
Two weeks ago, both the City of Hollister and San Juan Bautista voted to close off streets to allow businesses to extend their footprint for outdoor dining. Senator Caballero said, “I commend the San Benito Chamber of Commerce, San Benito County, City of Hollister and San Juan Bautista, the Hollister Police Department, Hollister Fire Department and the Hollister Downtown Association for its efforts and thank them for working quickly and diligently with the business community to have a smart, and safe reopening plan.”
According to Michelle Leonard, President of San Benito Chamber of Commerce, “last weekend, La Catrina (La Catrina Mexican Grill) was full and they provided a large white tent for their outdoor dining which was convenient to customers to provide shade while many enjoyed their meals.” The San Benito Chamber of Commerce noted that La Sabrosa Fine Mexican Cuisine has created similar outdoor dining.
Ms. Leonard indicated that other successful models have allowed businesses to safely open and operate including online commerce and deliveries, like Ohana Shaved Ice, which has been using Uber Eats and Door Dash for deliveries, and launched a website for taking orders. Others created new seating plans like that at Heavenly Bakery, which added bistro-style dining during the week.
“Local businesses are the foundation of our economy. I applaud efforts to get businesses back open, while prioritizing the safety of the community,” added Senator Caballero, who urged individuals that want to patronize these businesses do so with safety and public health in mind.
