By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Things are starting to return to normal at the St. Jo Frontier Casino, at least as normal as post-coronavirus restrictions can be.
And while the casino is welcoming back patrons and slowly offering all that it offered prior a required shutdown, it is working to maintain safety while operating during the lingering coronavirus pandemic.
Meals are being offered once again, but no buffet.
Chef Victor Luna says his employees have been trained well on how best to sanitize the kitchen each day with tables kept separate to maintain social distance.
“Right now, the feeling that I get from all our employees and customers is that we are doing the right thing to keep everybody safe,” Luna tells St. Joseph Post.
At first, the casino only offered a grab and go variety of foods, serving about 15 a day. Now the Fireside Bar and Grill, Winners Grill, and Full House are all open, according to Roxanne Miller with the casino.
“We no longer have the buffet at this time,” Miller says. “And that’s basically for the safety of our patrons. We like to keep the social distancing still in place. So, we have moved to an a la carte menu.”
Luna says that he and his staff had to devise a new menu post-buffet, offering such delicacies as crab legs and prime rib. As many as 100 patrons eat at the casino now.
Luna says it appears patrons are becoming more comfortable with dining at the casino.
“The beginning was quite challenging, because people were not very comfortable coming in a restaurant setting,” Luna says. “But as they progressed and see how we take care of the customer when they come in, they feel more confident coming in. Now they are getting more comfortable about coming in and sitting down and seeing what we’re doing.”
Miller says, all things considered, the casino is doing well, post restrictions.
“We were able to call back our employees and our regular patrons have returned to the casino,” Miller points out, while adding some just won’t feel comfortable returning for a while. “We’ve pivoted with the times and we’re doing new things to keep the property clean. We just are making adjustments just like any company.”