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Bravery Chef Hall is one of Houston’s first dining establishments to end dine-in service, and will focus on delivery and to-go orders until further notice.
As of Monday, diners won’t be able to eat in at the Downtown food hall, which houses eateries like chef Christine Ha’s The Blind Goat and sushi spot Kokoro. “We must all do our part to flatten the curve,” the food hall wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday night, referencing efforts to minimize the spread of coronavirus through social distancing and self-quarantines. In addition to take-out orders, Bravery Chef Hall will also offer “secure delivery” for nearby patrons in the coming days.
On Monday, the food hall issued a press release detailing how it will handle service while the dining room is closed. For patrons who use the pickup service, Bravery Chef Hall staff will walk orders out to the curb wearing “approved masks and gloves,” as will delivery drivers. Instead of partnering with a food delivery app like Postmates or UberEats, the Hall will handle all deliveries itself.
Also on Monday, Filipino restaurant Sticky’s Chicken also eliminated dine-in service at its Sawyer Yards restaurant. Now, Sticky’s will serve food for takeout only from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the restaurant is offering a 10% discount for patrons who make the drive.
These decisions come at a really fluid time for the restaurant industry, as officials in states like Massachusetts and Illinois shutter restaurants and bars temporarily in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. At present, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that people stay away from gatherings of 50 people or more, a precaution that will certainly impact restaurants in the coming weeks.
To be sure, Bravery Chef Hall won’t be the last Houston restaurant to temporarily close its doors or eliminate dining in in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more updates, and keep an eye on Eater Houston’s ongoing list of restaurants offering take-out and delivery service during the coronavirus outbreak.
