By Mike De Felice

Special to Bainbridge Island Review

Diners once again need to slip on face masks as they head inside restaurants.

With the wave of COVID cases, largely due to the highly transmissible delta variant, Gov. Jay Inslee has called for people to return wearing masks when indoors.

“I wasn’t surprised by the mask mandate. Inslee has found a way to control the majority of the people in our state. He’s not going to just relinquish his control,” said Craig Kenady, owner of That One Place restaurant.

The owner of Home Made Cafe, Suanne Martin Smith, meanwhile, has no issue with the mask mandate. She feels the governor’s move was justified based on the need to stop the spread of COVID, particularly to young people and the elderly. “It seems selfish to not think about others. If you don’t want to wear a mask, then don’t go out,” she said.

Customer reaction depends on the restaurant, according to the owners.

“We have customers that come all day, every day, that are wearing masks and that aren’t,” Kenady reported. “That is a personal choice … Washingtonians are getting tired of all of the attempted control that doesn’t seem to change the outcome.”

Martin Smith noted, “Our customers are awesome. They seem to care about what is happening and are complying.”

Higher expenses

One point the two business owners do agree on is the pandemic has led to higher operating costs.

Food costs have increased a third to 50 percent, Martin Smith said.

Kenady said: “Overall, the pandemic hasn’t negatively affected us until recently with the runaway inflation and food shortages caused by free rent and free government money.”

Another impact of the pandemic has been the inability of businesses to hire enough staff, a situation Martin Smith said was created by high unemployment benefits. The labor shortage led her restaurant to reduce the number of days it is open.

The governor’s decision requires everyone over the age of 5 to wear face masks in most public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status. Masks are “strongly recommended” in crowded outdoor settings.