Ian Cookson is the owner of Libelula in Fresno. Photo by Brandon Baker Photography

On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars, wineries and taprooms to close and for restaurants to decrease seating by 50%. In Fresno, a declaration by the mayor orders bars that don’t serve food to close.

“If nobody can go out to eat, then we can’t be in business anymore,” said Ian Cookson, owner of Libelula, a restaurant in Downtown Fresno.

It’s no mystery that calls for self-isolation will have a direct impact on the service industry. At the same time, resources are being made available for both workers and business owners. For restaurant owners wondering how they’ll keep the lights on and doors open, resources by way of loans, to-go options and disability insurance are trying to make their way to business owners.

Cookson said at Libelula and The Vineyard Restaurant and Bar in Madera, where he is executive chef, business last week was down between 25-30%.

The Vineyard had closed the bar portion of the restaurant.

Quesadilla Gorilla, which has locations in Fresno and Visalia, announced it would eliminate dine-in options and limit orders to take-out and delivery. CRU Winery in Madera said it would be canceling events and closing its tasting room, only providing wine purchases and pick-ups for club members.

At Vino Grille & Spirits in Fresno, business slowed significantly on Sunday following the announcement by the governor’s office.

“We were really slow last night,” said Chuck Van Fleet, owner of Vino Grille.

This last weekend was a bellwether for his and many other restaurateur members of the California Restaurant Association. Before the announcement by the governor’s office, the weekend was “extremely average.”

In response to the crisis, the U.S. Small Business Administration has created the Economic Injury Disaster Loan for businesses impacted by the coronavirus. The program offers up to $2 million per business. Businesses can apply here.

California was the first state to request funds for the program, according to Corey Williams, public information officer for the U.S. SBA’s Office of Disaster Relief. The SBA put out the notice Monday that funds are now available. The list of counties eligible for funds did not include Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties, however. Madera County was included. Part of the reason why was that notice had not been made by the respective counties’ Offices of Emergency Services, said Williams.

But the counties are working to fix that.

Fresno County Public Information Officer Jordan Scott said that a special meeting is being held Tuesday to officiate the county’s request to be added to the governor’s list. Calls were not immediately answered by Tulare and Kings counties, but someone who answered the phone at Tulare County said there was a specific person working on writing the letter. Dawn Golik, director of the Small Business Administration Fresno District Office, said that she is working on getting all counties in the coverage area included on the list.

In anticipation of lowered attendance numbers, Van Fleet instituted a few cultural changes in response to coronavirus fears. Whereas before, Van Fleet hated seeing cleaning supplies in the dining room, he’s making a point to have them be visible to assure everyone of how seriously the food industry takes cleanliness. Tables, chairs and menus all get disinfected before use.

“Before, it didn’t look good to have a spray bottle of cleanser on the floor,” said Van Fleet. “Now it does.”

Before the governor made the announcement to decrease seating, Van Fleet had already discussed doing so with his wife. Now tables and chairs are spread out.

They’re taking the steps extra steps at Libelula and at The Vineyard.

“Most of the stuff was getting done already, but having somebody say it makes you want to do it a little more,” said Cookson.

Some of those precautions have paid off. Cookson said talk on social media makes it seem people are aware of how the crisis may hurt small business. Buying gift cards is a great way to help. Besides dine-in options, restaurants are also expanding to-go and delivery options. Even eateries that may not have done so in the past are figuring out the logistics, said Van Fleet.

Uber Eats is getting rid of delivery fees on orders as well as offering daily payouts for drivers instead of weekly payouts, according to a press release.

GrubHub is also doing the same. Requests for response from Doordash were not returned by press time, but Van Fleet said he had heard the company was doing contact-free deliveries where food was left on the doorstep and customers would be notified by text message when the food arrived.

The problem, however, is the service fee, which is not being waived. On a hundred dollar order, as much as $20 could be taken in order to be featured on the delivery website.

Van Fleet urges people who might want to help out their favorite local restaurant to call them up and place the order directly. While that may require having to leave the house, it means that restaurant will see all of the profits.

Many restaurateurs feel they provide an essential service so people can eat while they’re stuck at home, said Van Fleet. The problem is figuring out the break even point.

Without as many tables, that means less staff is needed. Cut hours and possibly even layoffs may be necessary to stay open, said both Van Fleet and Cookson.

“I love these people but I also love my business, and I have to keep it going as long as I can,” said Cookson.

The state Employment Development Department said that funds are being made available to workers whose hours are being cut via disability insurance and can supplement between 60-70% of wages. They have also eliminated waiting periods for unemployment insurance claims for layoffs.

“One thing I’ve learned working in the restaurant industry is that there’s no way to predict anything,” Cookson said. “But I think even if you could halfway predict anything, this wouldn’t be on the page at all.”