The door was open although the restaurant was technically closed late Saturday morning when the first group of curious customers filed into Nature’s Grill, Thomas Larsen’s storefront cafe.

No one, least of all Larsen, wanted to wait another five minutes for the restaurant to open, not when they’ve already waited more than two months.

“Business isn’t going to come rushing back,” said Larsen, whose Main Street storefront sits along a trendy five-block stretch of bars, boutiques and restaurants in downtown Ventura, a half-mile from the beach.

And while Larsen may fudge the rules when it comes to opening time, he’s sticking to the ones that will keep those doors open.

People are going to have to decide for themselves when it’s safe to come out and dine.

“When we read that the Bee was open, the first thing we said was ‘we’re coming.’”.

“If they’re willing to open up knowing that it’s safe — they’re not going to kill us — we need to patronize them.

“We don’t want to open while we’re unprepared,” he said.

They don’t want to come into a restaurant and feel like they’re in a hospital

“So it’s a balancing act on how we can make them feel safe but also feel normal while they’re dining