Summer has started on the Russian River, where hard hit Guerneville businesses are balancing virus safety with a desperate need for tourists.
“We had floods in March, then the PSPS and fires and mandatory evacuations where we all had our businesses shut down, and then now this,” says chef Crista Luedtke, who owns three restaurants and one hotel in a town where many businesses owners have already burned through their reserves. “I have to be honest, there are many days where just throwing in the towel is a way easier out for me."
She has consolidated her kitchens to keep costs down, especially as it is more difficult than usual to predict how much business she will get.
“It’s like living a nightmare everyday. Unfortunately it’s the hardest I’ve worked for the least amount of money,” Luedtke says. “And when I say least amount of money, it’s still everyday a negative cash position for me."
Even a steady stream of visitors over Memorial Day weekend proved to be a double-edged sword. The town subsists largely on a steady influx of tourists who flock to the river every summer, but with resources limited and safety still a major concern, carefree tourists may be doing more harm than good.
“Don’t overwhelm our grocery stores… we’re not supposed to be out being tourists right now, but we know people are. So come prepared with your picnic snacks or support the local businesses, but do it in a way that's safe,” she says. “When people come to pick up their takeout and they’re not wearing a mask, I call them out on it. And they’re like, ‘well we’re outside we didn’t think we had to’ and I say, ‘but you’re getting within six feet of my staff and my job is to protect my people’.”
Sonoma County restaurants are now allowed to resume in-person dining in outdoor spaces, but the county announced Wednesday that no new restrictions would be eased for the next two weeks as the area has seen a surge in cases.