Ricardo Molina stocked up on three weeks’ worth of fajita fillings before he reopened Molina’s Cantina last weekend in Houston. It’s an insurance policy against market fluctuations due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“If the food supply is going to get tight, those prices will start to creep up, and then we won’t be able to offer the same menu,” explains Molina. His grandfather opened Molina’s Cantina in 1941, and it’s served generations of Houstonians.
Molina is one of countless restaurateurs navigating a rapidly evolving landscape. Last week, Texas governor Greg Abbott rescinded shelter-in-place restrictions across the state. As of May 1, Texas restaurants can serve guests seated at least six feet from one another in dining rooms filled to 25% capacity (50% in certain rural counties).

Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed a revised version of the ‘Restore Honolulu’ emergency order on Thursday afternoon allowing restaurants to resume dine-in service — provided that they comply with a number of new requirements — starting June 5.
It applies to dining establishments only, and bars and clubs must remain closed.
The order contains a list of rules on operations, social distancing, cleaning, staffing, and other practices. Here are some of the guidelines:

• Restaurant employees who interact with the public must wear face masks while working. Cooks and other staff “are encouraged, but not required, to wear face coverings during their shifts.”
• Customers must wear face masks when entering and leaving an establishment, but will not be required to wear one while seated.
• Parties must be seated at least six-feet apart from one another, and group dining will be limited to 10 people.
• Condiments must be provided in single-use packaging, or containers must be sanitized after each use.
• Disposable menus or menu boards are encouraged, and reusable menus must be sanitized after each use.
• Tables and chairs must be sanitized after use. Other high-touch areas such as doorknobs, restrooms and workstations must be sanitized hourly.
• No self-service buffets or drink stations are permitted.
• Employees will be required to wash hands regularly.
• Restaurants must provide “an adequate supply of soap, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and paper towels.”
• Employees cannot work if they have had a fever or other Covid-19 symptoms within 72 hours, and restaurants must develop plans for employees getting ill and returning to work in adherence to CDC guidance.