As Coronavirus Cases Spike in Dallas, A Deep Ellum Bar Preemptively Closes Its Dining Room

Even though it just reopened its doors after weeks of being shut down, Deep Ellum bar and restaurant Shoals Sound and Service is preemptively closing its doors as positive cases of the novel coronavirus continue to spike in Dallas.

A representative for the bar tells Eater that the dining room at Shoals will stay closed until “numbers start going in the other direction,” referring to record-high new cases of COVID-19 that have been reported across Dallas County over the past week. Even though none of its employees have yet tested positive for COVID-19, the bar announced that it would “retool, plot, plan, and reset” over the coming days in an effort to bring back safe service as soon as possible.

At present, bars in Texas can operate at 50 percent of normal occupancy, which was working out okay for Shoals over the past four days of its reopening. “We had a great 4 days open, kept the capacity down,” a rep for the bar said. “Guests almost all behaved. I still worry about them and my staff. The governor’s addresses leave the opposite of confidence.”

Shoals’s decision comes on the heels of multiple Dallas restaurants voluntarily closing their doors after employees tested positive for COVID-19, including popular spots like Zoli’s, Royal China, Alamo Club, and Sidecar Social. During the closures, these restaurants are implementing a variety of health and safety measures, including deep-cleaning and disinfecting, paying for employees to get tested, and requiring exposed workers to self-quarantine.

Even though Shoals’s dining room is shuttered for now, it will continue to offer curbside pickup and delivery for the foreseeable future. Follow the bar on Instagram for up-to-date details on what’s on offer.

• These Dallas Restaurants Have Temporarily Closed After Employees Tested Positive for COVID-19 [EDFW]