The upstairs dining room of Oakland’s Oliveto invites quiet conversation, thanks to a sophisticated acoustic system, and owners Bob and Maggie Klein have been thrilled to welcome their longtime regulars back inside.

But they’re not giving up their parklet on busy College Avenue below.

“There are still some people who feel more comfortable outside,” said Bob Klein, who caters to all comers by offering sidewalk guests both chef Peter Jackson’s refined menu and a casual bill of fare. “The parklets are actually really nice. It’s great sitting outside.”

PLEASANTON – APRIL 18: The half jerk chicken plate is photographed at Oyo restaurant in Pleasanton, Calif., on Sunday, April, 18, 2021. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group) 

Such is the Balancing Act of 2021 for the restaurant industry, which follows the Alfresco Summer of 2020. After a year of dealing with the unprecedented changes in staffing, safety, menus, hours and business models necessitated by COVID-19 rules, Bay Area chefs and restaurateurs find themselves straddling the pandemic and post-pandemic eras.

“Though there is still a bit of uncertainty in the air, I am optimistic about moving forward in the summer,” said chef David Kinch, owner of The Bywater and Michelin-starred Manresa, both in Los Gatos, and Mentone in Aptos. “I feel the public is craving social interaction and coming to terms with how restaurants and hospitality in general are such an important part of our culture.”

Chef-owner Jesse Cool sees the same enthusiasm among her clientele at Flea Street Cafe in Menlo Park, enthusiasm that also represents a challenge. “It is up to us to manage — with less staff and still feeling the effects of this brutal year — the many people so happy, so excited to get out finally.”

Barring changes in pandemic protocol, here’s what the season ahead looks like for restaurantgoers:

Taking it to the streets

Whether your local restaurant row will become a closed-street, walkable feast this summer depends largely on how successful the merchants and customers found this solution last year. Some cities are keeping streets or blocks closed to accommodate alfresco dining, some have adopted seasonal closures, and some have encouraged parklets instead.

For example, San Jose’s “Al Fresco” experiment at San Pedro Square has been extended well beyond summer, keeping San Pedro Street filled with tent-covered tables — and free of cars — until Dec. 31. Owners of restaurants including Sushi Confidential, Farmers Union, District and O’Flaherty’s are lobbying city officials to make the change permanent.

In Pleasanton — where restaurants dominate the city’s prominent downtown thoroughfare — a different model was approved. As in 2020, the city and the Pleasanton Downtown Association have partnered on a plan to close Main Street to vehicular traffic every week from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening (plus Memorial Day and Labor Day). Live musical entertainment is planned.

PLEASANTON – APRIL 18: A portrait of executive chef and owner Maurice Dissel in front of a mural of grandmother Oyo at Oyo restaurant in Pleasanton, Calif., on Sunday, April, 18, 2021. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group) 

Maurice Dissel, chef-owner of the Caribbean restaurant Oyo, got a huge boost from the Pleasanton street shutdown last year and is happy to “increase our footprint” once more. “We are anticipating a busier-than-usual summer business, given the increased seating capacity.”

Parklets and patios

Cascal, a pan-Latin tapas restaurant in Mountain View, has invested in patio seating for up to 140 diners. “Outdoor dining will still be a big part of the dining future,” predicts longtime Bay Area restaurateur Don Durante, Cascal’s founder and co-owner.

The Walnut Creek Yacht Club — the restaurant’s owners wanted to bring the feel of a “day on the Bay” to a landlocked city — offers three alfresco solutions: their permanent patio, aka the Aft Deck, a covered pavilion in the parking lot and a city-permitted parklet.

“We plan on seating it all summer,” co-owner and chef Kevin Weinberg said of the maritime flag-festooned parklet.

In San Francisco, Boudin Bakery — a huge indoor venue at Fisherman’s Wharf that drew hundreds of tourists and visitors a day to eat and watch the sourdough bread-making process  in pre-pandemic times — has converted a good portion of its parking lot into a pop-up outdoor dining experience, Summer Grill & Crab Fest, with seafood, pizza, burgers and more served under red umbrellas.

When its Bistro Boudin opens indoors this summer, the pop-up will remain open daily for customers who might prefer staying outside, said Dan Giraudo, chairman of Boudin Bakery.

Limited hours, menus

Looking to grab a bite on a late Tuesday night? Beyond bars and fast-food drive-throughs, you may find restaurant hours more limited than in years past. That’s not because restaurants don’t want to feed you and boost the bottom line. Many owners are still looking for more cooks and servers to hire. And they want to take care of their staffers who were so devoted throughout 2020.

“Think about it. They work nights and weekends,” said Flea Street Cafe’s Cool, who is planning to keep her restaurant open just five nights a week. She may extend hours slightly, “but not so (employees) can’t get home and sleep well.”

Durante sees the limited hours trend in Mountain View, with many Castro Street places open only for dinner. “We’re doing both lunch and dinner at Cascal but are closed on Mondays. Previously we were a seven-day-a-week lunch and dinner operation,” he said. “We are also closing earlier on weeknights, at 8:30, with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights.”

WALNUT CREEK, CA – MARCH 30: Outdoor dining areas are seen along Locust Street in downtown Walnut Creek, Calif., on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

Staffing shortages kept Mike Messinger’s Olla Cocina restaurant closed for many months during the pandemic, with the contemporary Mexican restaurant at San Jose’s San Pedro Square reopening only recently. His Farmers Union restaurant next door has been open for months but Messinger won’t expand hours there until more workers return.

Overall, diners shouldn’t be surprised to see limited menu offerings along with the limited hours. “With the current poor state of being able to hire qualified personnel, I think there will be no expansion of menus,” Manresa’s Kinch said. “I expect shortened, more concise menus until all restaurants become fully staffed. A shame, but it is the reality of the current situation.”

… with some exceptions (hello, brunch!)

Some restaurants have managed to buck the trend.

Luna Mexican Kitchen in Campbell and San Jose, for example, has been able to bring back staff and resume serving long hours, including 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily brunches and dinner hours until 9 p.m. weekday, Fridays and Saturdays, until 10.

Owner Jo Lerma-Lopez sees the 40 outside tables at her Pruneyard location filling up regularly throughout the warm weather. “I feel like summer has already started for us,” she said. “People have much more of an appreciation for hospitality” after months cooped up at home.

In Pleasanton, Dissel has relaunched weekend brunch and extended Oyo’s hours not once but twice. Closing time on Friday and Saturday was first changed from 8:30 to 10 p.m. and then, for the warm-weather street closure, till 11 p.m.

And in downtown San Jose, the owner of Devine Cheese & Wine is offering Sunday brunch for the first time to supplement her cheese classes and dinner offerings.

“Never thought I would do brunch, but I have been looking for opportunities to still get our name out there, as I feel like we are starting all over again,” said Liana Ryan, who launched the venture near St. James Park about a month before the pandemic restrictions started in 2020 and has been pivoting ever since.

Cocktails to go

Early in the pandemic, California’s ABC — the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control — threw a lifeline to the state’s bars and restaurants by allowing them to sell alcoholic drinks to-go, including the sipping of same within sidewalk/street dining areas.

This has been a boost both for their bottom line and for customers who love a well-made drink but may not have a well-stocked liquor cabinet at home.

Bartenders at chef Nelson German’s alaMar Kitchen and Sobre Mesa, both in Oakland, have been mixing and packing plenty of Spiced Mango Margaritas and Passionfruit Palomas with the Afro-Latin takeout meals.

“It has definitely made a huge difference in terms of helping us increase revenue when indoor dining wasn’t permitted and more so when outdoor dining wasn’t permitted, the complete shutdown,” co-owner May German said.

Not surprisingly, there’s strong interest in allowing these sales to continue after the pandemic emergency ends, with a number of bills winding their way through the California Legislature.

Besides helping financially, the sales extend the French dining experience, said Laura Magu of Rêve Bistro in Lafayette, where she and chef husband Paul have set up a pop-up wine shop, with most of their bottles available for the takeout price of 50 percent off.

“This allows guests to enjoy a Châteauneuf du Pape at the restaurant,” she said, “and then take a bottle home.”