APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An Appleton restaurant is being grilled for a decision to close over the weekend, and then reopen Wednesday.
Riverside Bar and Grill on Old Oneida St. says one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The business closed for four days, but reopened Wednesday to serve customers in-house.
People have been critical of both decisions the restaurant made.
It started Saturday when Riverside found out one of its bartenders tested positive.
Without hearing from the health department on what to do, management felt shutting down for the weekend was best.
Jeanne Peskie works at the Riverside Bar and Grill. She told FOX 11 the backlash was so great, she didn’t want her face shown on camera.
“We truly had our best intentions in closing, and we want nothing but the best for everybody.”
Peskie also manages the company’s Facebook page. She says that’s where she broke the news about the co-worker’s positive COVID-19 test, along with Riverside’s decision to close over Memorial Day weekend.
“We couldn’t get in touch with the health department, and we wanted to make sure we took the proper measures, just knowing that there was staff that had worked with her and customers that had been here.”
Social media criticism came flooding in, accusing the business of not taking the proper steps and questioning whether more workers might be infected.
“I deleted the post now, because people were starting to get mean, and I just think there’s no reason for anyone to be mean about it,” said Peskie. “We did what we thought was right.”
Peskie replaced the post with one saying Riverside would open Wednesday, which received even more criticism.
“The health department didn’t feel that the customers were at risk, because the bartender that became positive didn’t have any symptoms.”
Owners say the employee who tested positive has been following all recommendations, as far as protecting themselves.
Riverside also now has five employees that had close contact with the bartender. They are quarantining themselves and scheduling testing.
Peskie says customers have a responsibility to keep people safe, too.
“As someone in this line of work, you just don’t know exactly what’s right. Yes, we’re taking sanitary precautions, spreading the tables out, but yet we’ve got customers coming in here without masks on, you know, they know they’re taking a risk to be out in the public.”
FOX 11 reached out to the Appleton Health Department for comment on the positive test at Riverside. As of Wednesday, there has been no response.
