Jack Barbieri stood in front of the Hollister House Bar and Grill on Friday evening, taking a break to enjoy the cool breeze on what would be a long Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Barbieri, who owns the restaurant, said he was all in when he heard San Benito Street was closing down to allow restaurants to set up outside dining.
“Let’s do it, immediately,” he said. “I didn’t have any hesitation because with us not being able to use our bar, I’m losing 12-15 chairs in there. But if I can have 35-40 out here, I’m good.”
May 22 was the first time Barbieri opened his restaurant doors to customers. He said they worked up until 5 p.m. to get everything ready for the reopening.
Other restaurants that opened up for business included La Catrina, La Sabrosa, Heavenly Bakery, Country Rose Cafe and Ohana Shave Ice.
Hollister House Bar and Grill has been open for a little more than three years and Barbieri said he’s always wanted to have outside dining. “It’s not just for the restaurants, this is for all the businesses,” he said.
Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velázquez said shutting down the main strip and turning it into an outdoor dining experience has been 20 years in the making.
“It’s working and I’m excited,” he said. “It’s just getting started.”
Velázquez said they’ll be inviting more restaurants to open so they can attract more people, including shifting the focus to tourism.
“Finally the pieces are coming together,” he said.
On May 13, the San Benito County Public Health Services department announced that restaurants and shops have to display the industry-specific checklist. They also have to display the county’s self-certification window placard to show that they’ve reduced the risk of spreading Covid-19 and are open for business.
All facilities must perform a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan. They must also implement individual control measures and screenings, disinfecting protocols and physical distancing guidelines.
Industry specific guidance for newly approved business sectors can be found at covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance.
Velázquez said his biggest concern is people who are trying to get rid of the face covering order and those who are not obeying the rules. He said those same people claim the number of Covid-19 cases are too low and continue to ask why the county still requires the state executive orders.
“I have to remind them they’re low because we all worked so hard to keep them low,” Velázquez said. “Keep that attitude up and you’ll see the results of that attitude.”
Barbieri said closing down the restaurant for more than two months really affected him.
“It’s a lot of money not to bring in every month,” he said. “Mortgage, rent, insurance and everything still goes on no matter what. Hopefully it’s not going to affect a lot of the businesses.”
Barbieri said he hopes that none of the businesses begin to struggle more or shut down because he believes the more shops and restaurants around town, the merrier.
“It’s a matter of getting people downtown,” he said.
Barbieri mentioned that shutting down for a month was sort of a double-edged sword for him. He mentioned that he got to do some remodeling, including replacing the floors and painting the outside of the building, which he owns.
“While I had the down time I might as well,” he said. “I always wanted to do it but I didn’t want to shut the restaurant down for a month.”
Velazquez said that Barbieri is one of several owners in downtown Hollister that can thrive, especially during these struggling times.
“They turn those lemons into lemonade,” Velazquez said. “They don’t wait, they don’t make excuses. Of course it hurt everybody, it hurt me…but these guys did a great thing.”
