WEST SEATTLE RESTAURANTS: Arthur’s decides to ‘revert’

| Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

While restaurants are allowed to open for some indoor dining in Phase 2, some have chosen not to – and now, one that did, has decided to “revert.” Here’s the announcement we received from Arthur’s proprietor Rebecca Rice:

I just wanted to reach out to let you and your readers know that Arthur’s is reverting back to phase 1 with outdoor dining and takeout only. We have watched the spike in cases here in West Seattle and have decided the dangers for our staff are too great to ignore.

The staff that worked in the last 3 days has all been tested and we’ve come back negative. This doesn’t change how worried we are that the spread is happening with the reopening.

Arthur’s is at 2311 California SW in The Admiral District.

JP July 1, 2020 (11:43 am)

Good for Arthur’s!

James July 1, 2020 (11:47 am)

This is a very smart decision on Arthur’s part. Other restaurants in West Seattle should do the same.

ACG July 1, 2020 (11:49 am)

I’m so sorry to everyone in the restaurant industry who are trying to make a living to survive. I completely support any restaurants decision to pull back on their own reopening plans to try to protect themselves, their coworkers and families, and the public. Please, if you can, continue to support these places with take out orders and such.

Jamie July 1, 2020 (11:56 am)

Good call! Thanks for making a decision that will help protect your employees, customers, and the larger community. I haven’t been to Arthur’s yet, but will order some takeout soon!

Restaurant Worker July 1, 2020 (12:04 pm)

I know this move has to be very hard given the huge financial burdens they must have, but it is the right thing to do. Thank you so much to Arthur’s for prioritizing the safety of your employees and community!!! I will be by for take out soon ❤

Emily July 1, 2020 (12:23 pm)

Arthur’s FTW, thank you!!

Heshee July 1, 2020 (12:30 pm)

Thank you Arthur’s for caring about the health and safety of your employees and the community! I will for sure make a point of ordering to go food from you!!!!

Schmitz Park Dad July 1, 2020 (12:31 pm)

Good for you Arthurs. Very respectable. We have no interest in being indoors right now, except for essential services. We will make sure you are on our restaurant take-out rounds to support you and your efforts to keep your employees and customers safe. Kudos to you!

JenT July 1, 2020 (12:42 pm)

Very smart.

Thank you!

Sue H July 1, 2020 (12:47 pm)

I’m glad to hear this. I was ordering takeout from various restaurants all along, but as soon as indoor seating started, I stopped. If staff is now having increased exposure to people indoors, and those people aren’t wearing masks (because they’re eating/drinking), it made me seriously question whether it was still safe to order. My heart does go out to everyone in the restaurant industry (and all small businesses) that are struggling so right now.

JJ July 1, 2020 (12:50 pm)

Thank you Arthur’s, this is the right thing to do under the current circumstances. I look forward to takeout with you. I hope other local WS restaurants follow suit asap.

KM July 1, 2020 (12:57 pm)

Love it. I dined indoor unexpectedly last week and it was really uncomfortable and will not be doing that again. Looking forward to some takeout from Arthur’s soon.

Smittytheclown July 1, 2020 (1:08 pm)

Good for you. Profitability is probably higher with fewer employees and similar volumes of food and beverage anyway. Until we can get to 75% occupancy I bet the “math” just doesn’t work. Side note, where do I find the West Seattle data mentioned in their release? Need to track this West Seattle spike! Apologies if it’s right in front of me! Thank you!

sam-c July 1, 2020 (2:37 pm)

Every day, WSB provides a COVID-19 update. In the update, there is a link to the King County dashboard (for COVID-19 tracking). I am not super experienced with it, but I know you can find a link where you can review/ sort cases by zip code.
- WSB July 1, 2020 (2:44 pm)
  
  That dashboard has a tab for GEOGRAPHY.
  There you can explore by zip code or other sorting (note that what’s described as WS in the HRA sort) is NOT all of West Seattle.
  Once you choose a geography type, you can sort by categories such as positive tests or deaths.
  You can also use the “geography over time” tab to explore by HRA – again, remember that WS is a label for only part of WS – that shows two-week periods. Example, what that section calls “West Seattle” had 7 positive tests in the 2 weeks ending mid-June, then 21 positive tests for June 13-27.

Tracey July 1, 2020 (1:29 pm)

I have never participated much in the “social” economy. Prefer to cook for myself, too old for bars, stream movies. Arthur’s will be the first place I think of when ordering take out. A deep social conscience should be rewarded. Thanks Arthurs.

Andy July 1, 2020 (1:32 pm)

Great call!!!!! Yay Arthur’s!!!

Sheila G July 1, 2020 (1:39 pm)

Good on ya, Arthur’s! We’ll be calling you.

AIDM July 1, 2020 (1:40 pm)

Quick shout out to Luna Park! I picked up food this weekend and really appreciated their hygiene policy with lots of sanitizer, free masks, and a table blocking the entry. They are open for reduced capacity which I’m not partaking in, but I generally appreciate the mask-on atmosphere. Extra points for the all-compostable take out packaging.Good hygiene practices at Buddha Ruksa and Olympia coffee also, which is much appreciated by the science-first people of West Seattle (as opposed to politics-first/dogma-first).

morgan July 1, 2020 (1:44 pm)

Very smart! Thanks for doing this. I’ve never been to Arthur’s… But Now I’m going to get some food to go!!

SLJ July 1, 2020 (2:02 pm)

We’ve ordered takeout from Arthur’s a few times since this all started and it’s great!

AJ July 1, 2020 (2:18 pm)

Thank you for being proactive, Arthur’s! I hope other restaurants will follow your lead if they are able. I’ll definitely keep you in mind next time I order takeout.

psps July 1, 2020 (2:19 pm)

It’s encouraging to see at least some people are getting beyond the Denial and Anger stages. This Bargaining stage seems to be pretty slippery, though, and maybe Rebecca will manage to proceed through the remaining two stages without sliding back to Denial. Very few have.

Smittytheclown July 1, 2020 (3:08 pm)

Some positive news for you (it’s hard to find on tv). US deaths keep declining. Looks like today’s will come in 100 fewer than last Wednesday as well. Getting close to 500/day. For perspective, an additional 7,200 Americans die per day of something else. Let’s hope as therapies improve and the median age testing positive continues to decline that this trend will continue. Data.
- mok4315 July 1, 2020 (4:44 pm)
  
  That’s a cool graph, thanks!
  - Smittytheclown July 1, 2020 (4:54 pm)
    
    Great site.https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
- Louise July 1, 2020 (7:27 pm)
  
  @smittyData! Thank you. Let’s make decisions based on the right data.
- sam-c July 2, 2020 (11:46 am)
  
  I don’t have a data link right now, but I will wait a couple weeks before declaring this ‘positive news.’ Deaths usually lag about ~ 20 days or so? So, check the death rate again about 2 ish weeks after this recent surge in cases before we can all celebrate that Covid isn’t really a big deal after all.
- Schmitz Park Dad July 6, 2020 (9:20 am)
  
  Wow, Smitty, getting close to 500/deaths per day that could have been prevented? What great news!! Only 3,500 families/week will have to morn the loss of dead relatives. What joyous news!! Should we tear off our facemasks and open up the bars and restaurants to celebrate?

Kristina July 1, 2020 (3:40 pm)

Add me to the list of people who think this is wise. I’ll remember Arthur’s next time I want take-out! It will be a long time before I’m comfortable being indoors with unmasked people, and since we can’t eat with a mask on, restaurants are the last place I’ll be lingering. But I’m glad to get take out and get a break from cooking, and will be happy to support Arthur’s.

Take away July 1, 2020 (3:44 pm)

With all the takeout we’re ordering, can we try to forgo the disposable bags and plasticware at least some of the time? We can carry out and have our own bags in the car and use silverware at home.

I appreciate when restaurants give customers options before bagging.

Kalo July 1, 2020 (3:47 pm)

We have been tipping heavy for the take out orders we’ve made since this started to show appreciation to employees. They are taking great risks to stay employed and keep restaurants viable .

Rebecca Rice July 1, 2020 (4:28 pm)

THANK YOU, WEST SEATTLE! we honestly did not realize how many of you were with us on this decision. it’s been such a struggle since the beginning of march, not knowing what is best and safest. we are all wrestling with how to make money these days, but i’ve decided not to focus on money. safety is clutch. and i will never ever EVER ask my coworkers, who i consider to be family, to seriously risk themselves in my name. we welcome seeing all of you with masks, behind our plexiglass partition or outside in the safety of large socially distant seating arrangements we have for dining. we truly love all our friends and family here in ws and beyond. thank you!

Ken July 1, 2020 (4:36 pm)

Arthur’s is setting the example that others should be following. Haven’t been there before, but they’ll certainly be getting my business when it’s truly safe to open. Any business that places safety before profits is a winner in my book.

The other restaurants that have been mentioned previously with people packed in just don’t get it. Can’t understand how they expect their customers to be safe while they’re stuffing their face with food – hard to do when wearing a mask. It’s beyond ludicrous that restaurants were even allowed to open for dine-in anyway. They should either be offering take out or delivery only with zero options for anyone in the public to step foot inside the door.

Any restaurant that’s allowing dine-in – regardless if inside or out, they are part of the problem (and they should certainly take a moment or two to reflect on their shameful/thoughtless decision), not the solution and exactly the reason for the gradual increase in confirmed cases.

mok4315 July 1, 2020 (5:04 pm)

To be clear, Arthur’s *is* allowing outdoor dining.

22blades July 1, 2020 (4:46 pm)

Thanks for looking out for us & your crew.

Delridge Resident July 1, 2020 (4:47 pm)

Thank you, Arthur’s! Expect a call from us the next time we order takeout!

Mj July 1, 2020 (4:55 pm)

Arthur’s made the choice that is distinctly different than a forced mandate. People that are concerned simply can stay holed up in their homes.

deathfromabovekitty July 1, 2020 (8:12 pm)

Just another reason to love Arthurs!! That being said, the roasted cauliflower breakfast remains my number #1 reason!

AD July 1, 2020 (8:16 pm)

Thank you Rebecca!!! Congrats on your thoughtful decision. We will definitely make sure to grab some take out from Arthur’s soon.

Batty July 2, 2020 (10:13 pm)

Arthur’s for the Win! My WSHS senior was working here and loved it. It’s such a well-run restaurant, has excellent management & they take care of their employees. I appreciate how this mantra extends to customers and the WS community. Hats off to you Rebecca & Crew – you’re going to the top of our list for our next take-out. Thank you!

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