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Last week, they finally had the chance to get back to normal, after the governor issued an executive order lifting the state’s mask mandate and allowing businesses to reopen at 100% capacity.
Equally varied as the approaches have been their experiences this weekend, Covid-19’s first without limits on businesses – some have seen their business improve, others have said things have stayed much the same . One was the target of racist vandalism.
Here’s what some Texas companies told CNN about their first weekend since the restrictions were lifted.
Mike Nguyen, San Antonio
On Sunday morning, Mike Nguyen discovered that his San Antonio restaurant, Noodle Tree, had been vandalized with racist posts after appearing in local media and on CNN to criticize the decision to lift the mask’s warrant.
“Kung flu,” “go back 2 China” and “Hope U die” were spelled in red bombshells, according to photos he shared with CNN. (CNN has contacted the San Antonio Police Department for comment on the incident).
“Honestly, for me it’s a piece of cloth that runs over your face,” he says. “I don’t understand why they’ve gone this far, but I guess they wanted to send a message that the masks are ridiculous, or whatever.
But vandalism aside, Nguyen said the weekend went well. He chose to continue to demand masks for customers unless they are seated at their tables. And he’s capped his dining room at around 60% to 70%, rather than reopening completely.
Before the restaurant was vandalized, Noodle Tree actually doubled in business from last weekend, Nguyen said, calling it one of the restaurant’s “busiest weekends”. He couldn’t say whether the increase was due to the lifting of restrictions or to community support.
Nguyen said anyone who vandalized his restaurant does not represent Texans and they do not represent San Antonians. On Sunday, Nguyen said people at CNN had approached the company throughout the morning to help clean up.
“I am very honored,” he said. “But I’m not surprised. It’s what we do as Texans, it’s what we do as San Antonians – we help each other.”
He said this was also evident in the number of Texans still wearing masks, despite the relaxed restrictions.
“It kind of shows you that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that we can go back to what we were,” he said. “It’s encouraging.”
“I just hope we don’t back down,” he added.
Lisa Dickinson, Fort Worth
Lisa Dickinson, the manager of a store in Fort Worth called Parts Unknown, said business was great this weekend. On Saturday, the store actually surpassed the revenue it had around the same time in 2019, she said. “It was a very good day.”
The store does not require masks from its customers, Dickinson said, a decision which was made by its head office. But most of the customers who came over the weekend wore masks anyway, she said.
“No one was upset by those who didn’t and no one was upset by those who did,” she said. “Everyone was minding their own business and having a good time.”
A number of customers over the weekend were between the ages of 50 and 70, Dickinson said, and they told him they had been “squatting in their homes for the past year due to the pandemic.”
“They felt comfortable going out,” she said, in some cases because they had been able to get the vaccine. “It’s like the first time they’ve ventured out in quite some time. They chose to come to Fort Worth, they took a hotel, they have dinner, they go shopping.
Dickinson said people were smart enough to make their own decisions about wearing masks. But she acknowledged that the pandemic was not over and said she hoped people would be “sane” and not come together in large groups.
“But after what I witnessed this weekend, the good folks in Texas … they respect what they have to do, and I don’t think we need to know what to do or what to do. hide in our homes, ”she said. “So I have a lot of hope for the future.”
Nicola Blaque, San Antonio
Chef Nicola Blaque owns two restaurants in San Antonio. One of them, Mi Roti, which she opened during the pandemic, is in a food hall in San Antonio and the property is managing Covid-19 restrictions there. This means no inside meals and masks for everyone.
Despite the restrictions, Saturday’s business was “really, really good,” Blaque told CNN.
“The restrictions at this restaurant are very strong,” she said, “and we have had no reaction or no one playing by the rules.”
As for his other restaurant, The Jerk Shack, business was largely the same this weekend as it was during the pandemic. Although the restaurant offers alfresco dining, Blaque has continued with the take-out service and still encourages social distancing.
But following the governor’s order, Blaque decided to give customers the choice of wearing masks at The Jerk Shack – a move that earned him some one-star reviews from unhappy customers about not need it.
Blaque said the move was primarily about the safety of his employees. She didn’t want to put them in a position where they might have to apply masks with clients who weren’t cooperating.
“I’m a minority, so 2020 hasn’t been the easiest for black restaurants,” she said. “It wasn’t just the pandemic happening, but other things that were affecting our business. So we just had to make the right decisions not to receive so much backlash and stress.”
In the past, they have been the target of racial slurs and threats, Blaque said. Someone once blew up the windows of his food truck in front of his restaurant.
“Even the thought or threat of violence – that is not worth the safety of my employees,” she said.
Ryan Lachaine, Houston
For months, staff at the Riel’s restaurant in Houston have been playing the game when it comes to Covid-19 safety, chef and partner Ryan Lachaine told CNN. The restaurant has been scrubbed so many times that the polish is coming off some seats.
But given the first chance in a year to open at 100% capacity, Lachaine and its business partners made the difficult decision to stay the course. This weekend, Riel was still running at 50% capacity and masks were still a must, Lachaine said. As a result, the restaurant hasn’t seen much change.
“It’s business as usual. It was pretty much a Friday and Saturday night for us,” he said on Sunday, explaining that with reduced occupancy the restaurant was as busy as it gets.
Lachaine likened restaurant management to walking a tightrope, balancing the desire to generate income with prioritizing the safety of his employees.
“In my opinion, you can’t have one without the other,” he said. “If I don’t have staff because they’re sick or scared to go to work, I can’t produce food for people to come in. If I don’t have customers eating, I can’t pay my staff. ”
As much Lachaine would like to return to normal, he said he wanted to wait until his employees were fully vaccinated.
“This is my precondition,” he says.
Arnaldo Richards, Houston
After 12 months of operating at a loss, Arnaldo Richards, chef and owner of Pico’s Restaurant in Houston, said “business has been incredible” this weekend.
“We’ve had people come and tell us, I’ve seen it on social media or I’ve seen it on TV and we’re here to support you,” he said. Richards also didn’t reopen his dining room to 100% capacity, sticking to around 70%. At this level, he can still keep customers socially distant and safe, he said.
When the governor announced his order, Richards said he was initially excited, thinking about how it would stimulate the economy. But it chose to protect its employees, customers and community by keeping the restrictions in place.
Overall, Richards said he was optimistic about the future, based on the reaction from community members since Abbott’s order went into effect. “(It) really doesn’t make people go out and be irresponsible,” he said.
“The governor said we could make the choice,” he said, “but it’s up to the community, it’s up to the individual, it’s up to the company to be responsible. Because after 12 months you should know how to protect yourself. “
CNN’s Danielle Wiener-Bronner contributed to this report.
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