WE LIKE LA
When Your Restaurant’s Grand Opening Coincides With a Pandemic
Angie and Daniel Kim’s story is not much different, initially, than many others who follow the so-called American dream. After years of working in the food and coffee industries, the couple decided to start their own restaurant. They found a spot in Santa Monica, not far from the ocean, in the fall of 2018. Construction and permitting took longer than expected—about 16 months—but they were finally ready to celebrate their grand opening on March 21. Except just two days prior, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the statewide Stay at Home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down dine-in service at all restaurants.
“It happened very quickly,” Angie Kim recalls. “We decided to postpone the grand opening and take two weeks to regroup and then strategize and make a new plan for what was to come.”
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