Read on Twitter
A thread. We're now 8 days since we reopened @TablasCreek to visitors, and are learning a few things. But first, if you don't know how we've decided to safely reopen (outside, seated, flights, masks, by reservation, no groups, etc) this blog explains. https://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/2020/06/when-we-reopen-post-coronavirus-things-will-look-different-but-good.html 1/
Overall, the guests have been terrific. People have been understanding of the unusual conditions, have worn masks willingly, and have been grateful just to get out and resume this little slice of normal life. And for that we are grateful. 2/
The largest challenge has been our restriction limiting groups to no more than 6. That's part of the CA state mandate, and also we feel just a part of not encouraging irresponsible behavior. But we're seeing some groups of, say, 10 booking for 6 and 4 at the same time. 3/
The other issue has been people thinking that they only need to book for the number of tasters. We had a group of 4 show up w/ 5 kids. Maybe an honest mistake. Maybe an attempt to game the system. We've since clarified the language on our Visiting page. https://tablascreek.com/visiting 4/
One thing we didn't think too much about was the impact of going to tasting by reservation. We've always been proud that you didn't need a reservation to come see us, and felt that was an important part of bringing Tablas Creek to the people. But you just can't regulate flow. 5/
In practical terms, pre-Covid, we'd see some 250 people on an average Saturday, compared to 100 on an average Sunday and 75 on an average Friday. Now, with our number of tables and the ample time we want to leave for each tasting, we max out at something like 140 guests/day. 6/
What we didn't anticipate was that this would spread out our traffic flow. Look at this weekend, for example. All our reservations are booked for Friday through Sunday. If everyone shows up, that's ~420 people those 3 days, virtually identical to the 75+200+100 we'd have seen. 7/
That's a pretty great outcome. I'd been expecting to see the same number of people on Fridays and Sundays, and just fewer on Saturdays. But it doesn't appear it's working out that way. And I get it. That's the way I approach eating at a popular restaurant. I choose an off day. 8/
I should note that we are seeing more no-shows than we'd expected. Maybe that's people getting used to new systems. Maybe we need to implement some sort of reservation fee that's credited toward a purchase if they come. It's too early to know for sure what to do. 9/
But it's worth noting that if you're looking to come to Tablas Creek last-minute, and reservations are sold out, it's a good idea to call or even stop at the gate if you're driving by. The no-shows mean that we've been able to accommodate some walk-in (drive-in?) customers. 10/
Overall, the first week being back open has gone really well. Traffic is better than I'd expected. We're able to give people great experiences. Everyone seems chill & cooperative. And reservations have worked out great. I could easily imagine us not wanting to go back. 11 & END/
