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Corona 2020/Dallas restaurants thread

C-Man

By C-Man
in Dallas

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Jive Turkey

Jive Turkey 12993

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On 4/22/2020 at 7:27 PM, Zepol87 said:

E Bar carne guisada is exactly like my grandma's. I love that stuff so damn much

i said the exact same thing the first time i had it.

got my shipment from Snow's today.  we had brisket tonight.  holy shit, that is incredible.  even vacuum wrapped, frozen, shipped, and reheated in the oven.  fucking fantastic.

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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Here's something we can all get into to help out the fine service industry folks in our area...

Service Industry Workers Raise Money for Furloughed Workers

Spoiler

While workers continue to feel the impact of COVID-19, Dallas restaurant employees are getting support from  many restaurants and organizations providing meals and groceries to those who need it.

And then there are people who are also getting creative with how they’re raising money to relieve unemployed or furloughed service industry workers.

One of those is Deep Ellum bartender Katherine Doolittle, who has launched

Here's the link to where you can donate...

https://www.patreon.com/NFIBAD

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HRSchenker

HRSchenker 2340

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On 4/19/2020 at 9:47 PM, Stunns38 said:

ee7730b2e2aee623123d3feb3d9ff751.jpg

Came here to post about this but you beat me to it by a week lol. It honestly blows my mind that they're not able to sustain the business doing take out and delivery. I got takeout about 2 weeks ago and they had a few bags waiting near mine. Like other users I wonder if it's the China = coronavirus stigma that's hurting the business. Crazy to imagine since they're by far the number one Chinese restaurant in the area.

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14643

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Question:

Who offers the best value/selection of produce boxes?  My country club has one for $40 but it has way too much stuff for us to work through before spoiling.  I seem to recall seeing some posts on FB or maybe even here of some of the local distributors offering boxes for like $25 or so.  Any ideas?

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C-Man

C-Man 27777

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6 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

Question:

Who offers the best value/selection of produce boxes?  My country club has one for $40 but it has way too much stuff for us to work through before spoiling.  I seem to recall seeing some posts on FB or maybe even here of some of the local distributors offering boxes for like $25 or so.  Any ideas?

Chef's Produce box was pretty good. Check out their FB feed to see where they are distributing (seems like there's 3-4 per day). If you go by Union Bear you might get some Luscher's Red Hots thrown in as well.

Have seen some FB friends use Tu Super To Go, which allows you to build your own boxes. I think their only web presence is on Facebook.

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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22 minutes ago, bigup2dahorns said:

Katy Trail Ice House removed some tables outside and cleaned up and looks like they will be open today. With the nice weather, could be at the new capacity (25%) tonight plus a decent line to get in?

Oh I have no doubt places like that will be packed.  It’s too soon for Dallas though.

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gyroprotagonist

gyroprotagonist 2597

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picked up from Pecan Lodge this afternoon.

used to frequent them when they were at the farmers market, but this is the first time I have been to the DE location.  You have to walk around to the patio area to get your order, but you just pay over the phone and then grab your sack and go.

maybe 10% of the people milling around deep ellum had masks.  I was only one wearing one (rocking a sleeve torn off a T-shirt as a mask) picking up/waiting for food in their patio area.

Damn good stuff, though

 

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Stunns38

Stunns38 3805

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La Calle Doce in Oak Cliff just south of Bishop Arts have been doing contactless pick up, very careful with gloves, etc. selling Rita’s too.
 
https://www.lacalledoce-dallas.com/
 
 
Solid place

Well, an employee there tested positive for COVID-19 and it’s now shut down until further notice. Luckily, I wipe all my bags and packaging down with antibacterial spray.
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C-Man

C-Man 27777

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Picked up Mesero/Inwood Village tonight. Drank a margarita while I waited for order and took another home. Love this.

BTW, avoid Hillstone concepts from here on. Somebody started a GoFundMe a few weeks back when this started to raise money for out-of-work service staff at Honor Bar on a Park Cities FB group and it devolved into a discussion of poor service and then staff weighing in on how they are misteated, etc. Now this.

Goodbye Hillstone/Houston's/R+D/Honor Bar.

https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2020/05/03/its-not-safe-for-anyone-restaurant-employees-say-bosses-forbid-face-masks/?fbclid=IwAR3rriyT6l1kNA5GK4KRz2z8H7EAuHhXZZhS8t6An1gr6Gz1N38fgIJ8CcI

Quote

“We are scared.”

The story started with a tip submitted through our news tip form – but by Sunday evening, we heard from many now-former and current employees of Hillstone Restaurant Group’s Dallas locations, who said they are not allowed to wear masks while working as a company policy.

The California-based hospitality group owns Hillstone, the Honor Bar, and R + D Kitchen in Dallas, and Houston’s in Addison, and has apparently made it a company policy to not allow the face coverings, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

“It is true. We’re not allowing masks,” the R+D Kitchen manager we spoke to Friday night, who identified herself as Emily, said.

When asked if she was worried for her safety, or had heard any waitstaff expressing worry, she said, “We stand behind our decision. Thank you for your curiosity, but we stand behind this, and we’re doing the best we know.”

HRG’s corporate website outlines the safety precautions its Texas locations are currently using.

“Current orders do not require our staff to wear face masks. If you are concerned about your safety in this respect, we hope you will join us at a later date,” it says.

While masks have been strongly encouraged by Dallas County health officials and the CDC, they are not mandatory, and Gov. Greg Abbott stopped short of requiring them in his plan to reopen the economy.

However, in the state’s guidance for restaurants, it does say that if staff and patrons cannot maintain a six-foot distance, face masks should be used.

“Have employees maintain at least 6 feet separation from other individuals. If such distancing is not feasible, measures such as face covering, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, cleanliness, and sanitation should be rigorously practiced,” the guide said. 

Attempts to reach HRG’s corporate office for comment on the rationale behind the move were unfruitful.

While the science behind the recommendation has been debated, a face mask has become a common sight among most state and local officials when they appear in public.

The CDC’s recommendations came last month after evidence increasingly showed that the virus could be spread by asymptomatic carriers – in fact, the agency says that as much as 25% of all transmissions may be asymptomatic, meaning they never show symptoms, according to NPR.

“We just wanted people in the community who have dined with us a lot to know we are not safe. It’s not safe for anyone. We should at least been given a choice.” – Hillstone Restaurant Group employee

And while hospital-grade masks are going to do the best job of stopping the aerosol droplets from a carrier from entering another person’s body, many scientists and doctors have said that something is better than nothing, especially since up until now, most haven’t had access to testing unless they were displaying symptoms.

The mask – even a fabric one – will catch most of the droplets from a sneeze or cough, which means, doctors say, that if you are asymptomatic, you are protecting the people around you by wearing a mask.

“It’s not going to protect you, but it is going to protect your neighbor,” Dr. Daniel Griffin, an expert on infectious diseases at Columbia University, told NPR. “If your neighbor is wearing a mask and the same thing happens, they’re going to protect you. So masks worn properly have the potential to benefit people.”

An employee who spoke to us on background said that most if not all had been required to sign a non-disclosure agreement at the time they were hired, and were worried about retribution. We were also told that the rule applied to both front of house and back of house staff, and that gloves were not allowed unless it was already required by health code.

The same employee told us that anyone that requests to use masks or gloves are being denied hours, but it’s being counted as a refusal to come into work, which puts unemployment claims in jeopardy.

Other staff members from the three restaurants spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, worried about their jobs or potential backlash.

“We are scared,” one employee told us. “Please don’t use my name, I have to have a job. We just wanted people in the community who have dined with us a lot to know we are not safe. It’s not safe for anyone. We should at least been given a choice.

“We had a peak day in Dallas on Thursday. This is scary.”

Another employee indicated that they had been fired, and added that anyone who says they don’t want to come in because they won’t make enough in tips (Abbott’s current order limits restaurants to 25% of their capacity), or is uncomfortable working without a face mask risks being able to come back when the crisis is over, too.

“One manager just told me that anyone who declined the offer of full-time employment, either due to financial issues (because 25% capacity of full time without unemployment benefits is not viable) or lack of PPE will not be eligible for rehire when this is over,” another employee said.

Another employee said that they were told the masks did not “go with the style” of the company’s eateries.

“I hesitate to use the word ‘fired,'” another kitchen staffer said. “Probably furloughed would be a better word. If we’re not comfortable coming to work without a face mask, we are not being scheduled for hours. And that’s what we’ve been told so far.”

The same employee said that they were told when their manager called them to come back to work, they were told it was corporate policy to not allow face masks.

“I told her I was extremely uncomfortable with that,” the employee told us. “She told me to take a little bit of time to think, think it over. So I hung up, I talked to my husband about it and we decided that I couldn’t go back to work under those conditions.”

Her decision, she said, came because her family had a little bit of breathing room financially – but she knows most of her coworkers are now faced with either working without a mask but bringing in a little money, or not working at all.

“We have a little bit in savings. He’s still employed and bringing in a paycheck,” she added. “I know a lot of my coworkers do not have that privilege or if they do, they’re going to be put in a really tight spot pretty immediately.”

All of the employees we spoke to said that they were surprised by the company policy, because prior to the pandemic, they would classify the company as a great employer that offered better-than-most benefits.

When we first shared what we learned on social media, many readers had opinions.

“If the restaurant owner, manager, host, cooks/chefs, wait staff not wearing masks is a HUGE OPTICS RED FLAG! as though they are careless..makes you wonder if they have always been careless in the seating, cooking, serving your food, or quality of food. NOPE. I would pass,” said Liz Durrant.

“If a restaurant doesn’t want to require masks, fine. People can choose not to go there and many won’t. But to not allow your employees to wear masks is disgusting,” said Daphne Street.

“The marketplace will force their hand or a COVID infection among them to close down again,” chimed in Rich Henderson. “Some people got to learn the hard way. They are not only putting their customers at risk but also their employees. There is no sound reason to disallow employees from wearing masks if they want to themselves individually.”

“Servers not wearing masks right now is a deal-breaker for me,” said Debra Rountree.

“Any of their servers could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus,” Winnie Arthurs said.”It’s incredibly irresponsible of them and I hope they don’t sicken (or kill) a customer.”

Our sister publication, D Magazine, provided these FAQs about dining during the pandemic.

 

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21477

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15 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Picked up Mesero/Inwood Village tonight. Drank a margarita while I waited for order and took another home. Love this.

BTW, avoid Hillstone concepts from here on. Somebody started a GoFundMe a few weeks back when this started to raise money for out-of-work service staff at Honor Bar on a Park Cities FB group and it devolved into a discussion of poor service and then staff weighing in on how they are misteated, etc. Now this.

Goodbye Hillstone/Houston's/R+D/Honor Bar.

https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2020/05/03/its-not-safe-for-anyone-restaurant-employees-say-bosses-forbid-face-masks/?fbclid=IwAR3rriyT6l1kNA5GK4KRz2z8H7EAuHhXZZhS8t6An1gr6Gz1N38fgIJ8CcI

 

Well, that sucks, from every possible angle.

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Firemans4Horn

Firemans4Horn 18528

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2 hours ago, C-Man said:

Picked up Mesero/Inwood Village tonight. Drank a margarita while I waited for order and took another home. Love this.

BTW, avoid Hillstone concepts from here on. Somebody started a GoFundMe a few weeks back when this started to raise money for out-of-work service staff at Honor Bar on a Park Cities FB group and it devolved into a discussion of poor service and then staff weighing in on how they are misteated, etc. Now this.

Goodbye Hillstone/Houston's/R+D/Honor Bar.

https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2020/05/03/its-not-safe-for-anyone-restaurant-employees-say-bosses-forbid-face-masks/?fbclid=IwAR3rriyT6l1kNA5GK4KRz2z8H7EAuHhXZZhS8t6An1gr6Gz1N38fgIJ8CcI

 

Fuck em straight to hell. 

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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9 hours ago, Stunns38 said:

Drove past Bombshells on 35-E yesterday. The outside patio was pretty full but it appeared that every other table was kept empty. Though there were people standing. Not sure if empty inside.

Couldn't see your pics.  How was the talent?

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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9 hours ago, C-Man said:

BTW, avoid Hillstone concepts from here on. Somebody started a GoFundMe a few weeks back when this started to raise money for out-of-work service staff at Honor Bar on a Park Cities FB group and it devolved into a discussion of poor service and then staff weighing in on how they are mistreated, etc. Now this.

The California-based hospitality group owns Hillstone, the Honor Bar, and R + D Kitchen in Dallas, and Houston’s in Addison, and has apparently made it a company policy to not allow the face coverings, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Goodbye Hillstone/Houston's/R+D/Honor Bar.

California-based company.  There's your problem right there.  Bassackward fucks.

Glad I decided to leave Honor Bar out of my shelter in place to-go rotation.  I got a to-go order from them early early in this thing and then decided to focus more on locally owned places that were a lot less corporate.  Feel bad for the workers, though...we were pretty "friendly" with a couple of the waitresses and one bartender there.

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bigup2dahorns

bigup2dahorns 3348

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Uchi and Uchibā will remain closed for dine-in service this week, but we will continue to offer curbside pickup and delivery.

We want more than anything to host you in our restaurant again. But, after careful consideration, we are choosing to delay our opening for the protection of our staff, guests, and community. These are unimaginable choices, but we’re choosing to wait, to be patient, and take measures to do more than expected to keep everyone as safe as possible. We will take this time to consider the right timing for our restaurants to re-open in the coming weeks.

We will continue to serve you through curbside pickup and delivery; please check our websites or Instagram (Uchi and Uchibā ) for further details.

Thank you for your overwhelming support during this time. We’re humbled by the outpouring of love, generosity, and patience that we’ve experienced as we’ve navigated COVID-19 together.

We remain cautious but optimistic. We’ll be back soon, but until then, stay safe and healthy.

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Zepol87

Zepol87 9336

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Mi Covina in Highland Park Village is a SHIT SHOW.

Yea we were gonna order online at line 615 and the earliest pick up time was 750. I imagined it would be fucked. Decided on a hole in a wall place. 18 dollars and so damn good.

f65f16b8a34a9da064e7955181b661b2.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

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3 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Yea we were gonna order online at line 615 and the earliest pick up time was 750. I imagined it would be fucked. Decided on a hole in a wall place. 18 dollars and so damn good.

f65f16b8a34a9da064e7955181b661b2.jpg

You chose wisely.  I chose poorly.  I had the exact same time slots as you.  Placed order about 6:15 and got a 7:50 pickup slot.  Its 9:15 aaaaand I’m still fucking here.

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threesheets

threesheets 1689

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3 hours ago, Landomatic said:

You chose wisely.  I chose poorly.  I had the exact same time slots as you.  Placed order about 6:15 and got a 7:50 pickup slot.  Its 9:15 aaaaand I’m still fucking here.

Shocking that you stuck it out ^.  Let me guess- you ordered something super gay like fajitas amirite?  And your order had like 15 different special instructions, without question.

Edited by threesheets
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