Pepperbelly’s “doing better” since Abbott’s ‘Reopening Texas’

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  • Happy to pose with their masks and gloves are servers for the day (L-R) Tonya Marie Acuna and Jennifer Blocker. Next to Jennifer is Shelby Cisneroz who wears her mask while filling in as hostess and cashier that day. These pretty ladies are switching out roles to help things flow smoothly at Pepperbelly’s. Notice the plastic wrap around the chairs to prevent customers from seating and to stay within the 25% occupancy limit guideline. Photo by Donna Webb
    Happy to pose with their masks and gloves are servers for the day (L-R) Tonya Marie Acuna and Jennifer Blocker. Next to Jennifer is Shelby Cisneroz who wears her mask while filling in as hostess and cashier that day. These pretty ladies are switching out roles to help things flow smoothly at Pepperbelly’s. Notice the plastic wrap around the chairs to prevent customers from seating and to stay within the 25% occupancy limit guideline. Photo by Donna Webb
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With the Governor’s order to reopen Texas, I was so happy to be able to actually sit down at a table to eat a lunch time meal. I don’t just mean to eat the meal but to be able to eat it on real plates, use real silverware, and at least listen to the nonsensical chatter of those doing the same. One of my very favorite places to eat is Pepperbelly’s because they cater to us “baby boomers”! In other words, they have a special menu with a fixed, reasonable price. Yay!

But wait - how was one of my favorite restaurants doing? I had heard of some restaurants in other cities that had to close because of lost income; some even had to declare bankruptcy. San Saba is a very small town. How can our restaurants manage during this COVID-19 crisis? With that thought in mind, I decided to ask Romero Cisneroz, the owner of Pepperbelly’s, if I could talk to him about how his restaurant is holding up during this crisis and what, if any, difference has Governor Abbott’s “Reopen Texas” initiative has made on the restaurant’s cash flow. Romero was so gracious to see me the following week.

When I walked into Pepperbelly’s for our interview, I noticed that every other table was wrapped with plastic wrap to avoid customer seating. On the hostess stand was a large bottle of hand sanitizer and a sign telling customers to use the liquid to protect themselves and others.

The waitress came up to greet me, and I could see her smile through her eyes only, since she was wearing a mask. In fact, all of the waitresses and the hostess/cashier were wearing masks. In addition, the waitresses were wearing gloves. I was given a paper menu when seated. Romero came over to my booth to greet me, and he too was wearing a mask.

While Romero was finishing up, I ordered and ate my senior lunch. The food was fantastic, as usual. While eating, I noticed, a young man (wearing a mask), opening the front door for customers and going out to cars that had stopped out front. Customers are still able to order to-go meals and stop in front of the restaurant for pick-up. Staff will take food out to them, so curb service at Pepperbelly’s is pretty handy if you need it.

Romero finished and came over to sit down for a brief interview. He stated it was “tough for awhile at first. . . I only had one cook and one waitress.” He was referencing situations prior to Governor Abbott’s “Reopen Texas” order. Also, when the Paycheck Protection Plan became available, Romero stated he applied that first week and was able to get a loan within five days! He said it was amazing and so helpful, especially since it will be forgiven if it is completely used for salaries and utilities.

I asked Romero how he knew to open up to “25%,” and he said a City representative came to the door that Friday, May 1st, with directives for restaurants. I told him that it looked almost like it was 50% but he quickly reminded me about the large conference room that “I’m not going to open that up at all.” So, with that said, Pepperbelly’s is in compliance with the 25% occupancy directive.

My next question to Romero was “How are you doing now that you’ve opened up to 25%?” He smiled and said, “We’re doing better. Friday’s are especially better, since people are tired of staying inside. I now have more staff; the loan helped. But Sysco told me that I need to order all the meat I need before they shut down for two weeks because of the problems with the beef industry right now (COVID-19 affecting meat packing workers).We’re doing alright though. I just want to say to everyone who is a customer of Pepperbelly’s – Thank You So Much – from me and my family. You are all very near and dear to us.”

The interview at end, I gathered up my leftovers (and plenty, there were for another meal!), used the hand sanitizer at the cashier’s desk, and walked out, knowing that one of my favorite restaurants is going to be “okay.” Even though we, as a county, could qualify to open up at 50%, I’m okay with 25%. . . sometimes, we just need to take it slow and easy so we all stay happy and healthy, including Romero, his family and Pepperbelly’s!