Michelin-star restaurant Plumed Horse drops 60% of its tables to give diners more space

Plumed Horse in Saratoga is putting various measures in place to keep guests and staff safe, including dropping tables to ensure that guests are seated at least six feet apart. Here, a full restaurant is seen prior to tables being eliminated. less Plumed Horse in Saratoga is putting various measures in place to keep guests and staff safe, including dropping tables to ensure that guests are seated at least six feet apart. Here, a full restaurant is seen ... more Photo: Kristian Melom / Plumed Horse Photo: Kristian Melom / Plumed Horse Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Michelin-star restaurant Plumed Horse drops 60% of its tables to give diners more space 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

With some restaurants and large parts of the hospitality industry struggling in recent weeks, Michelin-star restaurant Plumed Horse in the South Bay is enacting some new protocols to help ease the worries of diners.

Starting this week, among the various changes at Plumed Horse: The front of house staff and any staff interacting with guests will be using disposable gloves (with gloves changed between tables), a dedicated sanitation position will be continuously sanitizing surfaces such as bathroom door handles during service, and sick staff will be encouraged to stay home and receive full shift pay.

But one of the more drastic measures the Saratoga restaurant is taking, however, is reducing seating by about 60%, lowering the number of tables in the restaurant from 36 tables to just 15, ensuring a minimum distance of at least 6 feet between parties.

"Our average dining time is two and a half hours," explained owner Josh Weeks. "So during that two and a half hours, I want to make sure that our guests and our staff are comfortable. And in order to do that, you provide spacing so that there's no cross-contamination, that guests aren't on top of each other, so they're not feeling like, 'Hey, I have to sit next to this stranger for two and a half hours, what's going to happen?'"

Despite the hit in revenue the restaurant will take, said Weeks, the main reason they are taking this step is for safety. Italy has begun instructing its restaurants to keep patrons at least 3 feet apart and, taking that advisory to heart, the restaurant decided to further increase that distance.

"We've got to think more long term," Weeks said. "In the short term, I think it's selfish to consider revenue and everything else. Our biggest concerns are the safety of our guests and our staff."

Weeks acknowledged that the changes Plumed Horse are implementing won't work for all restaurants, but he wanted to be proactive in the absence of directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the health department, instead of waiting for guidance.

"[Plumed Horse's changes are] not a one-size-fits-all solution," Weeks said. "A lot of restaurants are really confined because they have fixed tables and booths and such. But certain measures need to be implemented, and, hopefully, there is going to be some guidance from the Santa Clara County Health Department or from health departments in general.

"But I do believe the cross-contamination is a big issue that I think all restaurants should address," he added.

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Dianne de Guzman is a Digital Editor at SFGATE. Email: dianne.deguzman@sfgate.com.