How Fresno restaurants are preparing to start serving customers again

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Restaurant owners anxious to reopen are feeling the pressure from the strict guidelines they'll have to follow once they can get back to business.

Picking up some drinks to go is one of the many changes at Tioga Sequoia Brewery since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

William Compton, a manager at the brewery, says they've had to get creative.

"This has forced us to change and challenge what we know as a company," says Compton.

But more changes could be on the way for restaurants and breweries.

The state issued a 12-page booklet with guidelines on Tuesday for dine-in establishments.

Some of those include providing disposable menus, replacing shared items, like condiments, with single-use alternatives, and requiring customers to use a mask when they're not eating.

Lewis Everk owns several businesses, including Jugo Salad and Juice Bar and Vxyn.

He says they've spent thousands to make changes to accommodate the guidelines.

Some rules, however, he thinks are not feasible.

"Some of the stuff that caught us off guard was to reconfigure your heated and cooling, reconfigure your kitchen space. It's going to make a big impact on finances," says Everk.

For now, many breweries like Tioga Sequoia are sticking to curbside pickup, finding new ways and new products to keep customers coming.

Meanwhile, Fresno County officials plan to send a letter to the state in hopes of moving forward in the reopening phase.