Eager Restaurants and Retailers Await Arrival of Less Restrictive Red Tier Level

Pasadena restaurant and retail owners are eager to open their doors for indoor dining and shopping as the City prepares to move into the State’s less restrictive red tier, which will allow for additional re-openings perhaps as early as Friday.

According to Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian, the Pasadena Public Health Department is formulating local regulations to account for the easing of restrictions citywide. Those could be made available on Thursday, she said.

Some restaurant owners were caught off guard by the rapidly improving turn of events.

“I am incredibly happy and thrilled for everybody,” said Gail Kohl, owner of Gail’s Restaurant. But Kohl also said that reopening brings the issue of staffing on short notice.

“I’m really scrambling to try to figure out how to get my doors open, because I don’t have enough crew. I don’t have enough staff,” she said.

Kohl said that a number of restaurants might find themselves in the same situation.

“I think one of the biggest problems we’re all facing right now is not being able to find people to work,” she said. “It’s been a challenge throughout the entire pandemic trying to find people to work, but now it’s really crazy.”

Many restaurant workers found they were making more money by being on unemployment [insurance] than working,  according to Kohl.

“That was the first thing,” she said, “but I think some people moved on and went back to school, and they’re trying to do other jobs.”

California’s tier acceleration trigger allows counties to move to the red tier when the COVID-19 case rate is below 10 new cases per 100,000 residents once 2 million doses of vaccine have been administered to residents in the least resourced communities.

The vaccine target is imminent in L.A. County, and on Wednesday local officials said the county’s public health department had already reported an adjusted case rate of under 10 new cases per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks.

Governor Newsom said Wednesday that Los Angeles County will likely be cleared to move into the red tier by Friday.

Meanwhile, Heather Schmitz, a server at Slater’s 50-50 in Old Pasadena, is excited about the imminent reopening.

“We’ve been waiting for this for about a year,” she joked, but added, “We’re ready to bring in as many people as we can, and show them the ‘Slater’s way.’”

Asked about staffing issues, Schmitz pointed out that the restaurant has just hired three more people, who will take “about a week” to train.

“People are ready to work,” she said. ‘We’re ready to go.”

Pasadena Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Little said he is equally eager to see shops and retailers open their doors a bit wider, and said he has “a lot of faith” in the Pasadena Health Department to manage the new reduced restrictions.

“I don’t think they’re going to take this lightly or put anybody at risk,” Little continued. “So I think it’s good. It’s real good.”

Added Little, “Given all the health considerations, we certainly want the reopening to be safe, but we have thought for a long time that that’s possible. And now it’s happening. They would not be doing this if they thought it was putting some people at risk.”

For comparison between current purple tier restrictions with red tier restrictions, click here