Wet weather and outdoor dining don't mix; rain coincides with stricter virus rules

NOVATO, Calif. - The onset of rain in the Bay Area coincided with the closure of indoor dining for almost every county.

That put customers out in the drizzle or picking up meals packed to-go.

"We've only had a few brave souls out here today, it's mainly been a take-out thing, and that's been pretty good," said Kevin Joyce, co-owner of Jerry's Delicatessen and BBQ in Novato.

The restaurant on Redwood Boulevard opened only two months ago.

It has a brand-new indoor space, accommodating 80, that has barely been touched.

But a 2,000-square-foot outdoor space, alongside a huge smoker, is the heart of the business now.

"We've been out in the rain, battling the elements," smiled the chef, checking on brisket that will spend 20 hours on the heat.

Other staff was busy sanitizing tables that were too rain-soaked to sit at.

But Joyce just secured a permit to erect a clear 25-by-60-foot tent over the area, protecting diners from bad weather.

"It will look pretty cool with a bunch of lights and we've got a few hundred bulbs to put inside, plus Christmas decorations so it should be a pretty fun place, " said Joyce.

One city over in Petaluma, the long-established Cattlemens Steakhouse is also considering a tent for it's modified dining area in the parking lot.

The company is 52 years old, and the Petaluma location on Petaluma Boulevard North has been operating for 50 years.

"These days you have to check the weather just about every hour to see what's going on," said General Manager Nikolai Nostrova. "I've never been in a situation where I wished for no rain, especially in this area, but that's where we're at right now."

Tuesday night, Nostrova had eight tables in use, all of them under a roof overhang, instead of the 30 he would have available on a dry night.

"I've noticed when it's cold, it doesn't really matter, people come out, and our heaters work pretty well, it's the rain that turns people away," said Nostrova.

With rain falling feet from them, customers offered mixed reviews. 

"I would love it if I could sit inside, dining in the rain is cold, and not very great," said one.

Another tried to be positive.

"If I'm not getting rained on, no harm, although I would like to dine inside and I would like all this to be over, who doesn't ?"  

Cattlemens busiest day serving outdoors is only about a quarter of pre-pandemic sales.

But take-out has been a huge success, with more than 100 meals nightly, five times what it ever was before.

"It's been so long that now it's hard to imagine having people inside again," said Nostrova. "When we do go back inside, I don't think it will feel normal for quite awhile." 

At Cattlemens, employees are proud the pandemic hasn't closed the restaurant down, not even for a day.

At Jerry's, the staff is proud they managed to launch a new enterprise against stiff odds.

Everyone is excited about the arrival of the huge tent, but it isn't cheap, renting for $4,000 monthly.

Joyce laughs off how many more briskets he'll need to sell to pay for it.

"That's a good question, ask me that another month from now, I'll probably have a good figure."

Currently, San Mateo County is alone in the Bay Area, offering indoor dining at 25 percent capacity.

San Francisco and Marin are also in the state's red tier, and could serve indoors, but have opted not to due to rising coronavirus cases.