Pasadena Restaurant Owners Equally Cautious and Optimistic as They Reopen

Pasadena restaurant owners say they are feeling a cautious optimism as they begin to reopen their doors for in-person dining. 

City of Pasadena health officer Dr. Ying-Ying Goh revised her health order to allow the resumption of in-person dining in restaurants on May 29,  following that with in-depth guidelines the eateries must follow.

But the realities of finding funding, coping with the guidelines, and trying to reopen during curfews and local protests has drawn out the reopening process, restaurateurs say.

Still Pasadenans are seeing more restaurants reopen and scores more are planning comebacks this week and next.

Chado Tea Room has reopened its tea room in Pasadena, along with three other Southern California locations. 

“We have been waiting since March 15th to reopen our doors, and we are so grateful that we are able to finally do so, and be back up and running,” said  Chado’s Bianca Shah, director of marketing.

“Of course, life won’t be the same,” Shah added,  “but at Chado, we are dedicated to making our customers feel the sense of normalcy that we all crave while following CDC guidelines. We appreciate everyone’s support and hope to continue giving back to the community with our doors wide open.”

Chado’s Tea Rooms have been reconfigured to offer comfortable social distancing between tables, the restaurant said in an email, along with a staff well-equipped with gloves and masks, hand sanitizer stations throughout the store, and immediate sanitation practices upon the departure of each customer. Its tea rooms will be open from 11am-5pm for the remainder of June, with extended hours to come thereafter.

Gale’s, a longtime Pasadena restaurant mainstay, also opened Monday.

“It’s weird,” laughed owner Gale Kohl. “It’s strange to be open on a Monday.”

Kohl also noted that her restaurant has reduced its capacity, and removed a number of tables, moving a large amount of furniture to a facility across the street. 

“Some people are grumbling,” Kohl noted, but said, “I feel like I don’t want my employees in any danger. I want them to feel comfortable being here.”

During the pandemic, the restaurant has stayed busy with takeout and to-go orders, and has also served firefighters regularly, sending meals out to local fire stations Mondays through Fridays. 

In addition, the restaurant has created an outdoor dining area from its small patio, where it has placed tables. Kohl said she is also currently working with the city to install a permanent outdoor tent to accommodate outdoor tables.

For restaurateur Jack Huang, who owns SORRISO, Bar Celona, and iX-tapa Cantina in Old Pasadena, the pandemic and subsequent reopening has been a “challenge,” to put it mildly, he said. 

On Sunday, as protesters marched peacefully through Old Pasadena, diners sat at outdoor tables at his Sorriso location, watching the demonstrators pass. 

“We were allowed to re-open on the 29th,” Huang recalled, “and on Saturday, the 30th, we were ready to open. We get our sidewalk tables outside and people are coming in. Then, by six o’clock, the Pasadena guides were telling me that protests were about to take place. And this is when the protests and looting were happening in Downtown LA and in Santa Monica. 

“So, we pulled everything back in,” he continued, “and that [protest] went on. Then everybody was just watching, the rioting and looting on the news. and everybody’s scared. And then half of  Old Pasadena boarded up.”

Through it all, said Huang, he has “very mixed feelings.” 

As he explained Monday, “We’re all going with what the city County is telling us to do. We intended to go just to keep the lifeline going, of course. But do you want to go on at $300, $400 [a night]? My labor is $400 to $500 with a skeleton crew, and I’m doing this just so a few key people can earn some money. And this is before the unemployment checks don’t materialize, or the PPP (Payroll Protection Plan).”

According to Huang, he didn’t receive a PPP check until the second round of payments. 

“Nobody knew what money was coming.” 

Huang faced a wide range of challenges keeping his businesses open, not the least of which has been rent. 

“We are about three months behind on rent,” he said. ‘I’m about $200,000 in the hole. So, am I supposed to make $300,000? If I do, I’ll give it to the property owner, right? For spaces I couldn’t use, right?”

One bright spot, said Huang, has been the work of the city itself. 

When the owners of the Public Storage facility where Huang has a large unit, notified him on April that rent was overdue, he had no revenue to give them.

“Public Storage sent us a letter saying, “We’ll give you until the end of the month to pay. And if you don’t pay, we’re going to turn the locks and auction everything.”

Huang turned to Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian, who in turn went to City Manager Steve Mermell, who arranged for help with the payments. 

Now, Huang is waiting for city approval to increase the number of outdoor tables outside SORRISO and Bar Celona, perhaps extending his reach to the fronts of nearby closed businesses. 

Meanwhile, other local restaurants have also begun the slow process of reopening for in-person dining.

Rob Levy, owner of The Raymond 1886, told Pasadena Now in an e-mail, “No firm date, but guessing 2-3 weeks,” while Gregg Smith of the Smith Group, which owns Arroyo Chop House, the Parkway Grill, and Smitty’s, responded his group plans reopenings the “middle of next week”