Skip to main contentConcerns about the Delta variant are causing more Portland restaurants to alter their service in order to create safer conditions for employees and customers alike.
Starting today, Urdaneta is temporarily suspending all indoor dining, citing the recent COVID-19 surge that is overwhelming hospitals in many parts of the state. The tapas restaurant on Northeast Alberta Street near 31st Avenue will remain open, seating guests on its patio and sidewalk.
“This is not a decision that we have come to lightly,” the business posted on its Instagram account, “but with rising cases and a variant that seems to be changing our view on what safe and responsible practices are for our staff and community, it feels like a good time to revisit some habits we know to be safe and effective.”
Urdaneta said it came to the decision to shift to outdoor operations in part because of conversations about minimizing the time spent indoors while unmasked with customers and team members. There is no scheduled date for the dining room to reopen, but the restaurant says it will stick to al fresco until there is a drop in COVID cases.
Walk-ins are accepted, but Urdaneta highly recommends you make a reservation instead of popping by in the hopes of snagging a table, since space is limited. In the case that temperatures or inclement weather force the business to close, patrons will be contacted to reschedule.
All visitors over the age of 5 are asked to mask up when not eating or drinking; staffers will be donning face coverings as well.
Urdaneta isn’t the only Portland eatery making changes to contend with the highly contagious Delta variant.
Brian Alfrey, co-owner of the Northeast Alberta Street’s Radio Room as well as Keys Lounge on Northeast Killingsworth, announced that both of those establishments would be requiring proof of vaccination for entry—that began on Aug. 13. These venues are among the latest in the city’s food and drink scene to join a growing number of businesses that are carding for evidence of inoculation.