The “landing zone” might sound more like home at an Air Force base, but at the Faith & Flower restaurant in downtown L.A., there are now 17 of them.

On Saturday morning, about 90 minutes before the restaurant planned to reopen the door for the first time since closing in mid-March, the owner Stephane Bombet and his staff were busy setting up a special zone by adding an additional table for each table of two people. and placed an ornamental wagon next to each of the larger outlets.

After weeks of trying to find ways to maintain physical distance and minimize interaction between staff and customers in the post-coronavirus-shutdown world, Bombet created what he called the landing zone. Depending on your table, the landing zone is an additional table placed at the end of your seating area or a detachable carriage, where the server drops your table, drinks, food and check settings. You are instructed to pick up items after the server exits and carefully set your own table and pour water. When you want something cleaned, you put it back in the landing zone for removal.

“This will be difficult,” Bombet said. “You are not allowed to present goods on the table and point the cursor to the customer. The landing zone is our idea to make it safer and easier. “

In the morning, Conor Susi walked through the dining room and dropped a folded piece of paper on each table. Inside is information about the landing zone, how to use it and other safety precautions including requests to order your drinks, food, and dessert all at the start of a meal.

General Manager Anthony Dougherty checks the reservation system, which shows a total of 35 closures for brunch; usually a 7,000 square foot restaurant will have 320 closures. Instead of the half-empty dining room, Bombet chose to keep the layout of most tables intact but only sat half the tables at once, both inside and on the terrace, to maintain social distance.

“We have been working six hours a day for the past week training the team,” Bombet said from behind a black mask. He downloaded 12-page protocol Los Angeles Department of Public Health to reopen and have restructured almost every aspect of his New American restaurant that was driven by a small plate.

If Bombet places six feet between each seat, he calculates that he can only use 60 (38%) of 164 available seats. That also means only three at the bar, which usually sits 17.

“This system is not intended to make money,” he said. “Our break-even is $ 10,000. Today, all day long, we might make $ 5,000. “

Dinner guests are placed at Faith & Flower in downtown Los Angeles.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Bombet pays more than $ 30,000 a month to rent, plus more than $ 200,000 in salary. He hopes the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which was introduced in April to help small businesses struggling during coronavirus mandated deaths, will help offset some of its greater costs and allow it to at least break even.

About 45 minutes before the service, chef Michael Hung walked around the kitchen wearing a P95 mask and goggles, spraying the surface with a cleaner. Red dots are stuck on the floor to show the cooks their station parameters.

Behind Hung, chef Ricardo Acevedo used an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of other employees and recorded it on a piece of paper. Hung walked into the dining room and sprayed all the door handles.

“I usually sleep now,” he said. Then he began to cut the disposable paper menu for service.

In preparation for reopening, Hung reduced the menu to 36 dishes per third and lean production to accommodate fewer people in the kitchen. He removes all raw bars and tartare dishes and discards microgreens and flower decorations. With only one dishwasher, Hung adjusts the recipe so that more items can be cooked in one pan or pan.

Chef Michael Hung, center, discusses the menu with staff before opening for lunch at Faith & Flower in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

“I am excited to reopen the dining room but at the same time, I am also worried about protecting my health because I have diabetes, and also protecting the health of my staff,” Hung said. “We can play with the food we want the next two to three weeks, but we have to make sure we are here in two or three weeks.”

Twenty-seven minutes before service, Bombet called the front of the house staff to the bar area for a pre-shift meeting.

A long table in the center of the room, where groups of customers who used to stand shoulder to shoulder drinking milk for $ 16, was full of copies of the health department’s protocols and some face shields. Every employee, all wearing a mask, grabbed a pamphlet.

“You will see a lot of changes, so I don’t want you to be quick,” Bombet told the small group in front of him. Aside from the manager and supervisor, he only had one busser, one runner, and two people who worked at the bar. “We have to learn a lot of things. We will do it right and take our time. “

“Each station has hand sanitizers, paper towels and gloves,” Hung said. “You have to change gloves between every table you serve, wash your hands and clean. We run a timer so that every hour we stop, clean, wash our hands, then change gloves. “

Bombet estimates that he spent an additional $ 10,000 on cleaning and personal protective equipment such as gloves, face shields and masks, to reopen the dining room.

When the meeting is over, each employee takes a face shield.

At 10:29 a.m., the first table arrived. It was a group of four friends including Vartan Abgaryan, chef at Yours Truly in Venice. Abgaryan, whose restaurant dining room remains closed, said he entered because he was curious about how Bombet operated.

About 10 minutes later, the second guest arrived. The constant dripping from guests continued until a dozen people were in the dining room, placed on four tables.

“I’m very happy to be back,” said Virginia Elwood-Akers, 81, who ate alone at one of the booths near the window. After reading the landing zone instructions on his desk, he put a piece of paper in his wallet. “I took it to show people so they wouldn’t be afraid to go out and eat,” he said.

Alejandra Lizarzaburu, 26, Stephanie Krakower, 24, and Dianna Barba, 27, had dinner at Faith & Flower.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

One table ended, co-workers Alejandra Lizarzaburu, 26, Stephanie Krakower, 24, and Dianna Barba, 27, sat down for lunch. They raised cocktails to toast until the end of the week.

Krakower said he liked the idea of ​​a landing zone and the appearance of bar carts, with shiny black surfaces and elegant gold decoration.

“It’s cool and creative that this restaurant has found a way to do it in a place that is still funny and fits the atmosphere,” he said.

During the day, a husband and wife without a reservation approach the door and ask for a table. Because the health department protocol recommends ordering for visitors in advance, Bombet applies a special reservation model using OpenTable. When the walk-in arrives, he explains the situation and tells them that they can use the application to make reservations on the spot if there is one available. Some shook their heads and went to look for lunch elsewhere.

“It’s very difficult to say no to customers, but by reopening, we are committed to doing it this way,” said Bombet. “How often do you say no to customers who come to your restaurant? And the restaurant is empty? “

At 12:22 p.m., the reservation called to say they were worried they would be trapped in a protest in the city center and no longer come.

A sign that restaurants only order at Faith & Flower in Downtown Los Angeles.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Customers are required to enter credit card information when they make a reservation, but Bombet says he will not charge anyone who does not show up or cancel.

“There are already so many layers of heavy rules,” he said. “If they are cold last minute, we won’t burden them.”

Shortly after, another couple without a reservation arrived. Bombet shows them how to use OpenTable to order a table that just opened, then seat them for brunch. He can order two more reservations on the spot and a few more to fill online before the end of the service.

After a total of 58 closures, the skeleton staff closed at 2:30 pm. to clean, clean and try new normal again for dinner at 5 pm.

“How long will this last?” Bombet said. “I hope for a month or two. We will only open and hope for the best.”