Ramen Vs. Pho is reopening its dining room after being closed for dine-in since Dec. 2. Photo via Google Street View

After closing its dining room for two weeks, a stroke of good fortune is allowing a popular Fresno soup restaurant to reopen its doors for dine-in customers.

Ramen vs. Pho at will reopen for dine-in Tuesday, owner Keysone Hatzidakis said. The restaurant, which opened in 2019, closed its dining room Dec. 2 over concerns about the omicron variant of Covid-19 that is circulating, according to an Instagram post.

Hatzidakis said in an interview Monday morning it’s difficult to know what precautions to take.

“It’s hard to tell if people are sick from the change of weather or if it is a symptom of Covid,” Hatzidakis said.

Hatzidakis was able to hire two more people and got everyone tested. One employee had two tests, one positive and one negative, making the situation even more complicated. Hatzidakis made the decision to protect her employees and close the dining room.

“It’s difficult because you have to take care of your employees first, because if you don’t you can service your customers,” Hatzidakis said.

Employees might live with older family members or people living at-risk.

The decision also cost them nearly two-thirds of sales at a time when the cold weather has customers clamoring for both pho and ramen. It was difficult to turn away customers, Hatzidakis said.

Being a fairly new restaurant, it’s so important to stay open and function, Hatzidakis said.

Another round of testing gave employees the all-clear to return to work, so Hatzidakis decided to open for dining customers once again.