Ross Pangilinan, the 2019 OCBJ Chef of the Year, owns Mix Mix Kitchen Bar in Santa Ana and Terrace by Mix Mix at South Coast Plaza. Both restaurants are open for takeout, Pangilinan said, but on a limited basis.
“We are only doing Thursday, Friday, Saturday—people eat out more on those days than on weekdays,” said Pangilinan. We might open Terrace for brunch. I am playing around with the concept.”
Pangilinan has been offering family-style meals to go at Mix Mix, but has been experimenting with a three-course, prix fixe menu at Terrace, which he admitted was “harder to execute, and it’s harder on food costs. The family meal kit is easier on the kitchen.”
Pangilinan is one of the lucky restaurant owners that is receiving a PPP loan, which means he can bring back his staff at both restaurants and pay his rent.
Rehiring furloughed staff will be phase one for restaurants when they are allowed to reopen for in-house dining, but nobody really knows when that will be, or what restrictions might be in place. Most ideas being floated among restaurateurs is 50% capacity for social distancing, masks and gloves for servers, disposable menus, and increased hygiene through the restaurant so diners are comfortable with going out to eat again.
“When we come back, we’ll see what the traffic is like, how many people come out,” Pangilinan said. “Will people flock here because they have not been out, or will they stay away and see what happens for a while?”
The key right now, said Pangilinan, is for the public to support local restaurants, because “now is the time they all need it. Everyone is burning through their savings. The big ones will survive, a lot of mom-and-pop shops may not.”
