Local kolache chain closes dining rooms again due to Covid-19 spike

Katy-based Kolache Factory reopened its dining rooms at 50% capacity on June 12. Less than two weeks later, the company is "re-closing dining rooms because things are moving in the wrong direction."

KOLACHE FACTORY

By Sara Samora  – Reporter, Houston Business Journal 
Jun 25, 2020, 9:37am EDT

As Covid-19 cases continue to spike in Houston and across Texas, The Kolache Factory is closing its dining rooms again and returning to carry-out, curbside and drive-thru, effective immediately, according to a press release.

Furthermore, restrooms will be for employee use only, with the exception of first responders. And for those customers ordering carry-out, they will not be allowed to use the company’s self-serve beverage stations; employees will serve everything at the counter. These measures are in addition to Kolache Factory’s Covid-19 protection efforts already in place.

Kolache Factory has a total of 57 locations, but the immediate dining closures will affect 27 of its corporate-owned stores in Texas, Kansas and Indiana. The remaining 30 franchise locations “will decide dining room status based on community-mandated regulations and personal choice,” the release stated. Dawn Nielsen, Kolache Factory COO, said some of those stores have opted to close their dining rooms as well.

“With the surge we are seeing right now in our country, we are taking the preemptive step of shutting down dining rooms at all corporate-owned locations, so we can protect our customers and employees as much as possible, encourage social distance, and continue serving our communities fresh-made kolaches,” Nielsen said in the release. “We understand this is a scary time, but we are committed to doing our part to protect one another and our economy. We appreciate your patience and understanding and hope you will continue to place online orders.”

Kolache Factory first closed its dining rooms on March 16 and then reopened them at 50% capacity on June 12, Nielsen told the Houston Business Journal in an email. Less than two weeks later, the company is “re-closing dining rooms because things are moving in the wrong direction.”

The Katy-based company isn’t the only eatery to take preemptive steps amid the Covid-19 spike. Riel Houston, located at 1927 Fairview St. in Montrose, announced in an Instagram post it would temporarily close its doors June 18-22 so its employees could get tested for the virus. Additionally, the restaurant did a full deep cleaning.

Riel said it was being proactive out of an abundance of caution.

“Nobody on our team has tested positive, but we believe that this is the right thing to do for the well-being of our staff and customers,” the restaurant said in a statement. “Despite these challenging times for the restaurant industry and our passion for serving the Houston community, safety is our utmost priority.”

Houston is fast-becoming a Covid hotspot in the United States, and the Texas Medical Center is close to exceeding normal ICU capacity.

Restaurants in Texas were allowed to reopen on May 1 under guidelines intended to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, including limiting capacity to 25% initially and later expanding to 75%. However, some local eateries had to temporarily close again after employees tested positive for Covid-19.

As Covid-19 cases continued to increase, more counties and cities began issuing mandates that businesses require masks. The possibility of another shutdown became more plausible when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said such a move would be a last option, warned this week that the virus is “spreading at an unacceptable rate” and “must be corralled,” the San Antonio Business Journal reports.

“We know folks are nervous. We are too,” Texas Restaurant Association Vice President Kelsey Erickson Streufert told the SABJ. “We are watching the numbers right along with everyone else.”