Orange County Restaurants Close After Employees Test Positive COVID-19

Seven more prominent Orange County restaurants have closed temporarily after a positive COVID-19 test from an employee. The list, per the OC Register, includes some big names like Golden Road in Anaheim and the Original Fish Co. in Los Alamitos. Each restaurant is taking a different approach to reopening, with some testing the remainder of staff, and others simply closing for a few days for a quick deep clean.

The announcement of seven more restaurant shutdowns means that a dozen or more eateries in the county have now had at least one employee contract COVID-19 in the past few weeks. Red O in Newport Beach was affected, as was Bluegold/LSXO in Huntington Beach. The announcements come a week after governor Gavin Newsom once again shut down indoor dining in several parts of the state, as a way to combat the novel coronavirus. Others in Los Angeles County like Beachwood BBQ in Long Beach and San Pedro Brewing Co. have also had to close after an employee tested positive, though Beachwood is coming back online today.

And in other news:

• Los Angeles County is continuing with plans to potentially fine restaurant operators who are acting out of compliance with the health and safety guidelines during the ongoing pandemic, reports LA Times.
• There are a couple of new openings around greater LA this week, including Strada Eateria & Bar in Downtown. Up in Burbank there’s a new spot called ViaSelfie Fusion Kitchen, and yes they have accent walls for taking photos.
• Tommy’s is doing buy one get one free chili dogs from now until September 7.

• The Long Beach Post tackles the tricky issue of customers behaving badly during the pandemic, even as restaurant employees are forced to don masks and face shields and ask for compliance with a whole slew of county-mandated guidelines.
• Food & Wine checked in on Roy Choi and co.’s reborn Locol, which is now part of the ChewBox delivery and app setup. Full details on how to order can be found within.
• The Alcove in Los Feliz has turned 16 years old, and to celebrate they’re doing a charity initiative with food going to the local children’s hospital. Fans who want to participate can just show up, order something sweet from the menu, take a photo and hashtag it appropriately, and the restaurant will send one item in kind to the hospital this month.