Maintaining determination for restaurant survival in a pandemic

Action News Now looked back at some of the key events in the 12 months since the stay-at-home order was issued.

Anchor Alan Marsden spoke to a local restaurant owner, maintaining his determination that those restaurants survive.

Open one year ago today, governor gavin newsom issued the stay at home order and our lives have not been the same since.

In the beginning we couldn't get our hair cut.

We couldn't go to the gym.

We couldn't do a whole lot of things.

And in the meantime, we all, along with business owners, had to navigate the state-wide, 4- stage reopening plan... which evolved into the state watch list... and ultimately, the color-coded tier system.

I spoke to one chico business owner about his professional*an* personal experiences riding out the last year.

(nats full - mon kitchen pt 1 00:00:24) " we have five or six in guys here.

We have tickets all through out here."

As the owner of "b-street public lounge", will brady would be hard at work in this busy kitchen with the rest of them.

(sot: mon kitchen pt 2 - 00:00:01) "so you see were completely shut."

But that was before.

(sot: mon kitchen pt 2 - 00:00:03) "everything has been cleaned and scrubbed and sanitized and left for you know hopefully in a couple of months we're gonna come back and unwrap everything."

Action news now spoke with brady last year, shortly after he abruptly shut down all three of his downtown chico restaurants: b- street, the banshee and bill's town lounge.

(sot: dining delay 5pm sot/vo 6/24/20) "we're going to wait probably until this is over before we open our dining rooms. it's too dangerous."

And so much, to so many people, has happened since then.

(sot: mask donations-pkg dual wake up @ 5 04/06/2020) (kristian stand- up) "so what is the difference between an n-95 mask and a homemade mask?"

(sot: hospital bed availability- pkg 6pm action news now 07/30/2020) (danette york) "a review of the latest covid 19 numbers in butte county show us our statistics are still going in the wrong direction."

(sot: chico business new chart-pkg dual wake up @ 6 08/31/2020) (esteban stand- up) "butte county is labeled purple on the new state color coded system, which is the highest risk level."

(sot: food giveaway-llpkg 4pm action news now first at four 04/08/2020) (christina stand- up) "this is just one of the locations they're handing out food."

School campuses closed.

High school sports halted.

(sot: tennis team talks future-pkg 6pm action news now at 6 07/29/2020) (student) "i don't know how that will play out with the covid situation, but i'm definitely hoping we can have a senior season" and even how we worship has been altered.

(sot: mass gathering-pkg 6pm action news now at 6 06/12/2020) (ana stand-up) "when people head back to mass on sunday, they'll notice a few changes."

But besides illness and death - perhaps nothing has impacted all of us like the staggering hit to the economy.

The closed businesses.

The loss of income and jobs.

(sot: interview pt.

1 00:06:30) "a lot of people were panicking early on.

And rightfully so.

I was panicking."

But despite the roller coaster ride of emotion and stress over the past 12 months, will brady has never questioned the need to close his businesses.

(sot: interview pt.1 00:05:36) "my restaurants don't matter as much as anyone's life - ya know?"

But that doesn't mean his restaurants don't matter.

Early on, he pushed vigorously for the city to permit street dining.

Something we asked brady about in may.

(sot: street dining plan-live sotvo 4pm action news now first at four 05/28/2020) "this is the end of restaurants unless we make some meaningful changes."

But then the summer surge nixed that plan.

The banshee did make a go of take-out food - and it was popular - but brady discovered it wasn't profitable.

(sot: interview pt.1 - 00:08:44) "at what point // were you like' i'm not sure this is worth this battle?'

Will: " sure, that's constant (laughs).

Brady credits ppp loans and a very helpful small local bank for keeping him afloat after coming within inches of selling his home.

I reminded him of what he told action news now at the time.

(sot: outbreak fear shutdown- pkg 6pm action news now at 6 07/09/2020) (mixed video of actual sot*an* me showing him the story on my cell phone) "downtown chico is going to be great after this.

The way i like to think of it is that there's gotta be good news sooner or later."

(sot: interview pt.1 - 00:11:24) "it happened!

I haven't lost any weight (laughs)" for brady, the best news is the vaccine.

He's had the shots and says his employees will too.

It's what he hopes will allow him to reopen - slowly at first - in mid may.

(sot: interview pt.2 - 00:02:03) "we're going to be back to teaching people how to make mac & cheese correctly.

Or our way.

I should say there's no incorrect way to make alan: "bacon and jalapeÑos" will: yes!

Exactly!

" getting to that point, brady says, is still an up hill climb.

But he's cautiously optimistic it will happen - pretty soon - and he can't wait to see his restaurants come back to life.

(sot: interview pt.1 - 00:12:56) "i think people are gonna want to get out, throw some darts.

Eat some food.

Drink a beer.

Hug, dance.

Lots of things are going to be happening that i think people of gotten away from."

In case you missed part one of my series on the stay at home anniversary, we have a timeline of events in the weeks leading up to that announcement, which you can watch on our website.

And coming up on action news now at six.... one year into the pandemic, more than a hundred million americans have been vaccinated and the numbers of cases and deaths are plummeting.

Is there light at the end of this very dark