Will the Delta Variant Impact Indoor Dining in Austin?

Just when we all thought it was safe to get back in the water, so to speak, the raging Delta variant threatens to once again debilitate our local restaurants and their ability to provide indoor dining.

The cruel irony of this surge is that it has struck just as some sense of normalcy has been returning to the local dining scene. While many restaurants are still grappling with the issues of finding workers and supply chain problems, most have at least gotten past the almost daily uncertainties that plagued the industry for over a year

Alas, however, several critical issues have recently surfaced. Are masking mandates around the corner? And will there, once again, be limits on percent of occupancy? Or worse still, will we see a total ban on inside dining? These are dire considerations and they will resonate across the city for restaurant customers and owners alike.

We asked local restaurant owners for their take on the possible changes in operations that the escalating virus might necessitate. Most echoed the sentiment that they’d gotten through mandatory masking, limited occupancy rules, and flat-out bans on indoor dining, and the lessons learned while struggling through the past year will give them a roadmap for dealing with the challenges of the Delta variant.

One prominent owner of a local restaurant group told us “Whatever the mandates may be, we’ll adjust and continue to serve our customers by whatever means possible.”

Another said “Our outstanding local dining scene is the heart and soul of Austin. We’ve got to sustain it no matter what challenges the Delta variant brings.”

I posed this question to another owner: would you consider asking for proof of vaccinations as a condition for entry to your restaurant? “It would be the last possible choice,” he said, “but if it was the difference between staying open or closing, yes, I’d do it.”

Many expressed concerns about how customers would react to more stringent rules. Some recalled that at the beginning of the masking and social distancing requirements many rebelled and wouldn’t cooperate. But as another restaurant owner said “Yeah it was really tough at first but our customers eventually adapted and so did we.”

I also put in a call to Mayor Steve Adler to get a sense of what restrictions, if any, he would consider placing on restaurant dining. As soon as I speak to him I’ll update this story.

But for now, everyone is taking it day by day. So we’ll see.