Bellingham breweries aim for safe, flexible service during Phase 2
Whatcom breweries have adapted and reopened during Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan.
Several breweries are offering limited dine-in services alongside recently developed delivery options. With at least 17 breweries, including the recently opened Otherlands Beer on Humboldt Street, Whatcom County’s is known for its breweries, said Annette Bagley, marketing director for Bellingham Whatcom Tourism.
“Breweries are a very important part of who we are as a destination,” Bagley said. “In the last 6 to 7 years we’ve really had this blossoming of all these breweries, and it has really become a visitor attraction.”
Whatcom County shifted to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s reopening plan on June 5, enabling restaurants to offer dine-in options at 50% capacity and capping groups at 5 people.
Bagley said at least seven breweries have since reopened for limited dine-in including Chuckanut Brewing, Boundary Bay Brewing, Aslan Brewing, Gruff Brewing, Stone’s Throw Brewery, Twin Sisters Brewing and Stemma Brewing.
Three breweries spoke to The Bellingham Herald to share how they have adapted and plan to adapt as the county continues to move through reopening phases
Aslan Brewing Company reopened its Bellingham location on Forest Street for dine-in service on June 9 after starting to offer delivery options. Since then, delivery has grown to represent about a fourth of all orders and most people choosing to dine-in have abided by state mandates, said CEO Jack Lamb.
“They have been really responsive and understanding with our requests just in terms of mask wearing and table sharing,” Lamb said. “(People merging tables) has been our only major issue... You know (people) not really fully understanding that this isn’t a personal guideline, it is a mandate from the state.”
Lamb said he implemented temperature checks and safety guidelines for his employees. Each employee has signed on to a mutual agreement assuring each other that they will follow certain guidelines outside of work.
“In any of these work settings, it’s impossible for our staff to maintain six feet at all times,” Lamb said. “Especially in the kitchen... Having (this agreement) that the person you are working next to is as safe as possible is the only way that we are comfortably making this happen.”
To date, there have been no recorded instances of COVID-19 among his employees, Lamb added. Looking ahead to Phase 3, Lamb said he does not expect too many changes aside from increasing the number of people allowed at tables. Phase 3 allows restaurants to increase capacity up to 75% and allow up to 10 people at a table.
Considering the long term, Lamb said he has redesigned his business to operate under these conditions indefinitely. To that end, he has limited the menu to cut down on time-consuming work and simplify customer expectations.
“It’s easier to slowly build upon it and harder to slowly bleed and then throw in the towel,” Lamb said. “We got down to the skeleton crew and the core of what is needed for our specific community. We will patiently wait for the ability to do more.”
Despite the challenges, Lamb said he thinks it’s wise for the community to cautiously move through the reopening phases.
“To me what’s sustainable is the health of our community,” Lamb said. “If this goes for another year that is what we have to do just to take care of the health of the community.”
Twin Sisters Brewing Company on Carolina Street in Bellingham began allowing dine-in on June 5. Marketing coordinator Kelsea Hill said Twin Sisters opened quickly because they had prepared in advance of the announcement.
“We were able to open within 6 hours or so of being told we were in Phase 2 because we prepared for it,” Hill said. “And because we have such a big beer garden area, it’s a little bit easier for us because people do have space to be socially distant outside.”
Hill said Twin Sisters has removed some tables inside the restaurant and reorganized tables in the outdoor beer garden to abide by state mandates. Additionally, they have installed plexiglass on their longer tables to separate groups.
Similar to Aslan, Twin Sisters offers delivery, requires face masks and each employee has their temperature checked before their shift. There have been no recorded cases of COVID-19 among employees as well, Hill said.
Aside from a few minor menu changes and safety measures, Hill said Twin Sisters has not significantly changed its operations as the county moved into Phase 2. Hill added Twin Sisters did layoff a lot of employees at the start of Phase 1 but some old and new faces have since returned.
Hill said Twin Sisters has not fully considered how it will adapt in the coming phases but is committed to maintaining a spaced out, frequently sanitized environment for those that do chose to dine-in.
“That isn’t something we have discussed quite yet just because I feel we are stuck in Phase 2 for a little bit longer with everything going on with (COVID-19) cases in the county,” Hill said.
Whatcom County had recorded 649 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 40 related deaths on Wednesday, July 1. The county is currently missing four of five goals that would enable it to move into Phase 3.
Yet in the face of these conditions, one new brewery has opened. Otherlands Beer on Humboldt Street held its grand opening on June 25. The brewery aims to offer a rustic environment with European-influenced foods, said co-owner Karolina Lobrow.
Lobrow said she decided to open Otherlands a few weeks into Phase 2 to see how other local breweries handled reopening. She added Otherlands will cautiously evaluate how to expand as the county continues to open up.
“It definitely took a little while, but we feel pretty good at where we’re at,” Lobrow said. “We’ve got some killer staff that has experience in other places as well, so they bring their lessons learned as well and we’ll continue to make sure that we’re following best practices.”
This story was originally published July 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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