Santa Clara County restaurants brace for outdoor dining ban starting this Sunday - Palo Alto Online

Bay Area officials' Friday announcement that they will expedite the state's new stay-at-home order means that Santa Clara County restaurants have just two days before outdoor dining will be shut down temporarily.

Santa Clara County restaurants will have to revert to takeout and delivery only as of this Sunday, Dec.

"We understand that the closures under the state order will have a profound impact on our local businesses," Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr.

Many invested in parklets and extensive outdoor dining set-ups, particularly in streets that have been closed to traffic like University Avenue in Palo Alto, Castro Street in Mountain View and Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park.

It's not a model we can survive on," said Anu Bhambri, who owns Rooh on University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.

She immediately thought of the implications for inventory at Rooh, where outdoor dining sales outpace takeout.

6, Santa Clara County is banning outdoor dining due to the coronavirus, limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery.

Patio heaters are just one of the additional costs Zareen Khan has incurred for outdoor dining at her eponymous restaurants in Palo Alto, Mountain View and Redwood City.

At La Bodeguita del Medio in Palo Alto, however, co-owner Michael Ekwall was facing the realization that without outdoor dining, he'll have to cut his staff of 18 employees to about six.

Judy Kleinberg, CEO of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, predicted there will be a spike in unemployment applications in the wake of the new stay-at-home order.

■ Santa Clara County restaurants brace for outdoor dining ban starting this Sunday.

■ Santa Clara County restaurants brace for outdoor dining ban starting this Sunday

She's been advocating at the county level for relief for small businesses; the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is set to discuss next week a proposed small business loan program as well as a cap on the delivery fees third party platforms can charge restaurants

Across the Peninsula, local restaurateurs' minds were quickly turning to ideas for boosting business, from social media posts advertising the final two days of outdoor dining this weekend to new takeout menus

Pavel Sirotin of Bevri in Palo Alto said he plans to revive a ghost kitchen concept he tested out a few months ago and is exploring other partnerships to stay afloat