The Bearded Pig BBQ in San Marco reopened for dining in May 7, The restaurant at 1224 Kings Ave. closed for six weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bearded Pig BBQ owner Chad Munsey.
Customers order inside, then wait at a table outside for their food, with the exception of several bar stools left at the indoor bar.
Diners outside at The Bearded Pig.
Outdoor seating at The Bearded Pig.
The San Marco restaurant was closed for six weeks.
Although he would have been allowed to as of May 18, The Bearded Pig BBQ owner Chad Munsey said he won’t be increasing capacity in his San Marco restaurant to 50% just yet.
With a large patio and a smaller, narrow indoor seating area, it made sense for the restaurant to use the inside for ordering and keep customers dining outside.
Customers come inside to order, then wait at a table outside for their food, with the exception of several bar stools left at the indoor bar.
“If I put one or two more tables in there, people would line up to order and be standing right over top of them, so we don’t want to have that,” Munsey said.
“We’ll continue to focus on our outdoor seating as long as the weather continues to agree with us.”
He reopened the restaurant for dining-in May 7 after closing March 19. He hired his 43 employees back two weeks before reopening.
Munsey said he chose to close the restaurant completely for six weeks, while still paying employees some of their salary. He did not see takeout working well for his style of restaurant, and chose to close to conserve funds instead.
He said the restaurant received a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
So far, business has been “decent,” he said. But each day, he notices fewer to-go orders and more people dining in.
“I look forward to getting back to full steam,” Munsey said. “Hopefully in the next few weeks we see more openings and less restrictions, and that will hopefully build confidence of the public.”
