Also closed after a positive COVID-19 test: Haymaker

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Our second report of the day about a West Seattle restaurant temporarily closing following a positive COVID-19 test: The sign at Haymaker in The Junction simply announces a closure for today and tomorrow, but the restaurant explains it online:

Out of an abundance of caution and commitment to do the right thing, we will be closing both Haymaker East and West after an employee tested positive for Covid 19. While the individual has not been in either restaurant for several days, our top priority remains the safety of our guests and team. We are taking this time to assist our staff with testing, and will reopen when it is safe to do so. We will continue to carefully follow all virus safety guidelines, and will be fully sanitizing both locations. We believe it’s important to be transparent in these times and will keep you posted with any updates.

(Haymaker East is in Eastlake, formerly called Le Messe.)

J November 11, 2020 (6:00 pm)

Forgive me if I missed it reported on the blog, but Talaricos is also closed right now due to Covid.

WSB November 11, 2020 (6:40 pm)

We reported that in the roundup Sunday night – didn’t find out about it until late at night, when the roundup was already top of the page and likely as usual to stay there until morning:

https://westseattleblog.com/2020/11/coronavirus-sunday-11-8-roundup/

Also of note, that was announced as “a family member of a staff member” testing positive.

Kimmo November 11, 2020 (6:24 pm)

Pretty soon more restaurant in West Seattle will close due to the virus! So far there has been two just this week.Wash hands, stay home if sick, and wear mask.
Get a flu vaccine !

flimflam November 11, 2020 (6:38 pm)

at risk of sounding like a broken record, but how is it that indoor dining is still allowed? its unsafe for employees and customers. full disclosure – i work in one. a place that has been open for 20 years with lots of regulars. the majority of folks are doing well but every. single. day. there are multiple people that get up from their table with out mask and head to the bathroom. it is not possible to head them off at the pass all the time – also, germs don’t just stay with you at your table. we have all the proper distancing in place but i still feel like its not safe. the report yesterday said “any indoor gathering is dangerous” – distanced or not, indoor dining is indeed a gathering, even if you are 6 feet apart.

JES November 11, 2020 (6:53 pm)

100% agree. I won’t be seeing family for Thanksgiving because indoor gatherings aren’t safe, but by some magic indoor dining in restaurants is ok? I can’t make it make sense.
- wsperson November 11, 2020 (8:29 pm)
  
  Indoor dining is not safe, it is spreading Covid but they have to draw the line somewhere and they’re choosing to draw it at hospital overwhelm, they said that if it starts to look like the hospitals will be overwhelmed that they will make the recommendation to shut down. They said we don’t “need” to shut down right now but if we keep going in the same direction, then soon we will. So we can voluntarily stop gathering now or involuntarily in the future.

Mark Schletty November 11, 2020 (7:16 pm)

While I have supported Gov. Insley’s approach to the Covid situation up until now, and I am very sensitive to the precarious financial position of our restaurants and bars, the current explosion of cases nationwide really does indicate a hard shutdown is necessary. Insley and Durkan should both require one before it gets so out of hand that our medical system can’t handle it and too many of us start dying. I’m really sick of mostly staying home, but we are getting so close to a workable vaccine that the unnecessary killing of more of our neighbors is just not worth the pleasure of getting out.

Michael Waldo November 11, 2020 (8:01 pm)

If you want to eat out again – wear a mask.if you want your kids in school – wear a mask.If you want to hear live music again – wear a mask.My Freedom!There are government mandates to wear seat belts, child car seats, car insurance, stop on red.They are all choices to limit your freedom for the good of the community.Wear a mask!

norskgirl November 11, 2020 (9:29 pm)

Wear a mask. Sort of. You don’t wear a mask while you actually eat, drink, talk, laugh, cough,…Much more opportunities to spread the virus…aerosols exhaled from a busy mouth, lingering in the air and spread about by the breezes of someone walking near you. IMHO it is not safe. And now is not a time to relent on the safeguards of myself and others. I am so anxious to eat out and will do so when there is community vaccination. Even if that is likely to be after several more months of restrictions. Eating out with family or friends is not worth the very real risk of sickness, disability and death associated with COVID.

BD November 12, 2020 (5:20 am)

All you commentors seem to be missing the point that in all this reporting there is no indication that the virus is being spread at these restaurants. ‘A family member,’ ‘hasn’t been in either location in several days.’ I’m with y’all in that dining-in is beyond my personal comfort level so I won’t be doing that. But it doesn’t seem that the facts support shutting down all dining-in.

Kayo November 12, 2020 (7:10 am)

We need to shut restaurants down from in-person dining. Help businesses and workers get through this with government support. I don’t see this getting under control until that happens. We are heading toward 2000 deaths and 200,000 new cases per day in this country within the next two weeks. Uncontrolled spread with no sign of abating in many states. Hope everyone is ok at these businesses along with their loved ones. I worry a lot about the front line workers out there. ❤️

flimflam November 12, 2020 (8:56 am)

what would stop the state or even the city from developing an assistance program or enhanced unemployment? didn’t the mayor just scape together $100 million dollars for a nebulous “people of color” grant? the council just earmarked over 2 million to be spent in two months for homelessness? i understand i’m in a better position than a homeless person, but why can’t the city offer some stimulus to its hardworking citizens?

Sue H November 12, 2020 (9:20 am)

I also don’t see how in-person dining is safe in any way whatsoever, for both customers and staff – and especially staff. My heart goes out to those in the food industry who are losing jobs/businesses. For that reason I was ordering curbside pick up or delivery of food for a while. But once they started letting people inside to eat, I started ordering less. I am really high-risk and I thought that all these people sitting maskless at tables (while eating) were putting staff at risk, and then that same staff was preparing my take-out food. Recently I went to get take-out and the particular restaurant was empty other than one other couple. I decided it would be safe enough to eat in, since I was 100 feet from the nearest customers. I kept my mask on the entire time unless I was actively eating/drinking. But while I was eating, one of the other customers (without a mask) walked directly past my table to head to the bathroom. So here are both of us with no masks on, and the staff (right there) said nothing to him. I will not eat there again, and I will not take a chance eating in again at any restaurant.

Alex S. November 12, 2020 (12:21 pm)

It boggles the mind that there is no comprehensive list for restaurants that close in Seattle & King County due to Covid outbreaks. Seems like, uh, people who recently visited those restaurants MIGHT WANT TO KNOW. The K.C. Health Department maintains their online list “Food establishment closures in King County” but it does not include Covid outbreak closures – just the usual petty violations. When government officials and government agencies keep saying “we got this”….. they obviously don’t. Thanks to WSB for at least covering local outbreaks.

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