Some Santa Fe restaurants temporarily shut their doors in January
Jan. 17—COVID-19's assault on the restaurant scene in Santa Fe continues.
At least 20 local eateries have closed for a week or two this month, and though some have taken a break for maintenance or renovation, others have made a decision to shut down for a few days because too many staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, which continues to sweep through the state.
"We had to close Saturday and Sunday [at Tomasita's," said George Gundrey, who owns Tomasita's and Atrisco Café & Bar. "We just had a lot of people with symptoms. I arranged to have everybody tested. We had about 10 people come back positive."
Tomasita's has about 90 employees.
"Two or three had no symptoms, but they came back positive," Gundrey said. "They were key people. It was just too tight to operate."
For others, decisions to close have little to do with the virus, but its presence make a temporary shutdown a timely move.
Horno Restaurant closed Monday for 10 days with the intention to reopen Jan. 27, chef and owner David Sellers said.
"The 10-day break right now is perfect timing with omicron and staffing challenges," Sellers said. "For us personally, January is the slowest month. Typically, most restaurants like us don't turn a profit in January. I think the pandemic absolutely has played a role in a way. Some restaurants have been busier than ever before, and there is wear and tear at restaurants."
The restaurants that have taken temporary breaks in January are some of the best-known in Santa Fe, including: Legal Tender Saloon & Eating House; Cowgirl; Palacio Cafe; El Farol; 315 Restaurant and Wine Bar; La Casa Sena; Cafe Pasqual's; Los Amigos Restaurant; Rancho de Chimayo; Caffe Greco; Harry's Roadhouse; Santacafe and Coyote Cafe.
But others in the restaurant scene also have had to adjust. Dion's Pizza, for example, has had days with takeout only and its dining room closed, and customers said the restaurant was closed for at least one day last week.
Deena Crawley, chief of staff with the popular Albuquerque-based chain, acknowledged the surge in cases "has presented challenges and we are occasionally making adjustments to operations. We are fortunate that so far these measures are not widespread."
Restaurant operators say they deal with the uncertainties by changing operating hours when possible.
Four of Santa Fe Dining's seven restaurants in recent times have been open only five days a week in response to staffing shortages, president Rick Pedram said.
"So far we have been very lucky," Pedram said. "We do have a few [COVID-19] cases here and there. Almost all are breakthrough cases that are mild. Not to say tomorrow won't be different. You have no control over it."
Most of Santa Fe Dining's locations are configured with several smaller rooms, which makes it easier to deal with staff shortages.
"We just close one of our rooms," Pedram said.
Cowgirl was closed Jan. 4 to Jan. 13 for scheduled maintenance that include tiles, ceiling and flooring, co-owner Patrick Lambert said, adding the downtown restaurant is back to running seven days a week for both lunch and dinner.
"Right now, everybody is healthy," he said. "But it's day to day."
Lambert said he does have a COVID-19 plan if some employees start falling off with positive test results.
"We will shrink the restaurant down until we don't have enough staff," he said.
That could include dropping lunch on some days or closing on individual days. The restaurant was closed Wednesdays and Thursdays in the fourth quarter of 2021 because of the worker shortage, Lambert said.
As has been the case since the crisis began, operators say they'll adjust as needed. But they agree the situation remains uncertain.
"I'm not seeing a whole lot of closure," said Howie Rouillard, president of the Greater Santa Fe Restaurant Association. "They are just cutting the days back and the hours back. The shortage of staff isn't helping with that."
