PHOENIX — Locally owned restaurants in Phoenix are working hard to stay open in the face of an emergency declaration that requires that they only offer takeout and delivery.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego’s declaration, which went into effect at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, allows bars and restaurants to stay open but does not allow those bars and restaurants to serve dine-in customers.
Saba’s Mediterranean Kitchen at Tatum Boulevard and Bell Road in north Phoenix is one of many restaurants hoping customers will still eat their food even if they can’t sit down and be served as usual.
Owner George Shankool estimates he’s lost 70% of his normal business in the past two days.
“People come in and get a little upset. They’re not quite understanding,” Shankool said. “They want to come and dine in like usual, and I explain to them why we can’t. And they storm out. They get a little upset. And we’re just trying to do what’s right.”
There’s an added bonus for any paying customers who have been coming up empty at the grocery store amid supply hoarding at supermarkets across the Valley: toilet paper.
“If you need to use the potty, it’s OK,” Shankool said. “We’ll let you go use it.”
