CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Outside of the Trestle Bakery in Conway sits a sign that reads, “If you’re coughing, sneezing or running a fever, you cannot enter this establishment.” Inside, staff serve customers for the first time in months.
Governor Henry McMaster allowed restaurants to reopen their indoor dining rooms Monday, as long as they follow some rules.
“We worked yesterday to figure out how we were going to do it to abide by the laws and the guidelines, and everything is working out great,” Terry Bedell, General Manager of the Trestle Bakery said.
The order says restaurants may only operate at 50 percent of their posted occupancy, tables must be six to eight feet apart and condiments must be removed from the tables and available only at the request of the customer.
“We took over half of our tables out, and we still have our outside dining and our upper deck, so we’re real happy, we’re pleased. I think everyone in Conway is,” Bedell said.
Down the road, staff at the Crooked Oak Tavern were also excited to start serving customers inside.
“We’re trying to follow all the CDC procedures and the South Carolina Department of Health procedures, keeping everything sanitized; we’ve always been sanitary here but obviously it’s new times. There are a lot of worries,” Ryan Bland, bartender and assistant manager at the Crooked Oak Tavern said.
The restaurant was able to receive a small business loan to stay afloat and keep everyone on payroll, however now they are preparing for a new normal.
“Nothing is really going to be normal for a little while, everyone’s always going to be a little cautious. Everything else we kind of just have to hope for the best, stay motivated; try to act as if nothing’s different,” Bland said.
Both restaurants are still open for outdoor dining and curbside pickup orders.
