NEWS
A pandemic restaurant story Simi’s Junkyard kept alive by “community love” by Kimberly Rivers kimberly@vcreporter.com
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oyal fans of The Junkyard Cafe in Simi Valley will not miss their favorite restaurant anymore since it opened up it’s dining
half of the tables. Garfield is putting up fencing outside to allow more outdoor dining. “We bleached the restaurant from ceiling to floor.” Garfield expressed worry about the first forecasts for the restaurant sector. She also is aware of the “con-
to police customers who might push back against any of the restrictions. “All of a sudden I am the police. I’m trying to walk through all the possibilities in my head. That is keeping me up at night. I’ve told all my employees that if they run into any situation to
The Junkyard Cafe entrance (above) and interior (above, right) had a positive reopening this week after being closed for two months. (Photos submitted)
rooms on Monday, May 25, after a two-month closure. “The opening went remarkably well,” said Evelyn Garfield, owner, called The Queen by regulars. “We implemented all the systems that we had thought of, and believe it or not, they all worked.” The Junkyard installed plastic sheeting between booths and removed
troversy around this whole thing.” Some see restrictions as “taking away their rights” while others consider reopening “highly irresponsible and that folks who are going out are ruining it for the world. That is kind of the gist of the way I hear it. A lot of people stay neutral and polite, but some get really upset.” Garfield doesn’t want any of her employees to have
bring it to me. I’ll be personally handling any issue.” But if opening day is any indicator, customers are fine with the new rules. “The customers were so nice, super fun and positive energy,” Garfield said on Tuesday, May 26. The overall feeling: “We are going to be ok.” She said prepping to reopen under the rules has been challenging. “There
is a long list, things to do required by the county.” But one gray area is screening guests for symptoms. “I don’t know exactly what that means. I’m not a doctor or a nurse. My employees aren’t either. What if it’s not done accurately? We are trying to do our best and just make sure we are in full compliance. My biggest concern, number one, is the health of our employees. I do not want to screw it up and get shut down.” Garfield says the Junkyard is a “high volume, eclectic” restaurant that normally seats 250 people. She laid off all but three of her 50 employees, and cut open hours back, but “we’ve been open everyday through the whole thing for takeout and delivery.” Even so, many costs stay the same. “Our normal electricity bill is about $7,000 to $9,000 a month, plus permits, licenses. There was a learning curve of how to do deliveries . . . we have taken on more and more debt.” Garfield applied for the various loans made available, but the restaurant didn’t get funding. And because it had to lay off most of its employees, it didn’t qualify for the PPE funding that requires 75 percent of employees to be retained. “With an empty restaurant there was nothing for them to do. I want to reiterate that the funding
model wasn’t good for restaurants and bars.” She points to a few restaurants in the area that have closed for good as a result of the pandemic. A positive experience during this event has been the feeling of community support Garfield has experienced. “They are coming out to support us.” Sharon Austel of the Rotary Club of Simi Valley sponsored meals from the Junkyard for all the workers at the Simi Valley Hospital. Others sponsored meals for employees of the Simi Trader Joe’s and the local fire station. “These are the kinds of things keeping us alive.” Customers showed strong support for the restaurant, even putting up signs around town directing people to the restaurant for takeout or delivery. “Our customers built these wooden signs in the style of my menu that said Junkyard Takeout and Delivery and ‘We miss you like crazy,’ that’s our tagline.” Other signs said “ ‘You’re gonna make it’ and ‘We’re gonna make sure you make it.’ That is the best part of this whole story, the community love,” said Garfield. “And so we did. We’re here.” The Junkyard Cafe, 3585 Cochran St., Simi Valley, open 7 days a week 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., 805-520-5865, www. thejunkyardcafe.com
Peirano’s sticks with takeout for now by Kimberly Rivers kimberly@vcreporter.com
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It is not simply opening our doors. If we are actually going to follow the guidelines, it is a significant change in normal business,” said Jim Rice, co-owner of Peirano’s Market and Delicatessen on Main Street in Ventura. He spoke to the VCReporter on May 23 about the decision not to reopen the dining room and patio at Peirano’s right now as many restaurants and businesses were reopening. “From what I saw last night [in downtown Ventura], a lot of those requirements are not being implemented,” said Rice about the first evening restaurants were able to open their dining rooms in the county. “We are in no hurry to make a 6— — MAY 28, 2020
mistake. Our first priority is to protect our employees and customers.” Peirano’s has contracted with World Central Kitchen, a national nonprofit organization providing food to those in need during disasters, and with local restaurants to support locally owned businesses. “That has really helped. We’ve prepared 300 meals every morning. That allowed us to bring back almost half of our staff. We are running pretty lean and mean.” Peirano’s also shifted to online sales, and that has worked so well that it will remain even after things fully reopen. Pointing to extensive efforts made throughout the county to protect the
community, Rice said, “We’ve all worked really hard at being safe, to just toss it all away now is crazy.” He added that reopening too soon could put the to-go and curbside business “in jeopardy.” “Spacing is the least of the issues,” he explained. Peirano’s patio could easily be spaced to meet the new rules. “But there is no shared condiments, no salt and pepper at the tables. Silverware has to be single use.” The requirements include a 15-minute sanitation between each table sitting, and having entrance and exit at different locations. He said the restaurant will reopen the dining room and patio, but wants to make sure staff is fully trained and
Photo from Peirano’s Facebook page.
that customers will also comply. “It doesn’t do us any good to implement all safety features internally and to allow the public to just disregard them.” “Some things are going to shake
out over the next few days,” said Rice. “I’d rather be over cautious than carefree. We are anxious to open. We are just going to be as smart as we can. We will know when we are ready.”
