Big Burrito Restaurant Group has plan to gradually reopen, expand indoor dining

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 5:01 p.m. | Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 5:01 p.m.

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Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Chef Bill Fuller, president and corporate chef of Big Burrito Group, outside Alta Via in Fox Chapel Plaza. Alta Via is the newest addition to the big Burrito Group restaurant portfolio.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review

Big Burrito Restaurant Group temporarily closed its specialty restaurants including Kaya in the Strip District because of the 25% capacity indoor seating restriction by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Big Burrito Restaurant Group president Bill Fuller has decided to open more of his eating establishments now that Gov. Tom Wolf announced indoor dining capacity in Pennsylvania restaurants can increase to 50% starting Monday.

The openings will be gradual, Fuller said Friday.

The plan begins with Kaya opening its Strip District location for indoor dining while continuing to keep the outdoor space.

There won’t be table service — all orders will be placed at the bar or through a pick-up window, Fuller said. Kaya is open for dinner seven nights a week and lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“I have seen that more and more people want to go out to eat, but most of them prefer to dine outside,” Fuller said.

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The next step is to open inside dining for Soba, Umi and Casbah the week of Sept. 28. Alta Via in Fox Chapel Plaza and Eleven, located Downtown, will open during the first week in October.

Alta Via, Soba and Umi will serve dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

Eleven has some outdoor dining space, which will also be utilized. Casbah and Eleven will be open for dinner only Wednesday through Sunday and will both serve Sunday brunch.

During the pandemic, the nine Mad Mex locations in the region stayed open, because of the Mar-GO-ritas, takeout and outdoor dining, Fuller said previously. They will increase to 50% capacity.

“We are grateful to be getting these places up and running,” Fuller said. “And we hope the (covid-19) numbers keep going down because we want to serve our customers and give them dining choices outside of their homes. It’s been a difficult year for everyone so if we can create some sense of a normal dining experience, we want to do that.”

The restaurants will offer fewer menu items, Fuller said.

“We hope the rules don’t change again to less capacity,” Fuller said. “We hope people continue to social distance and take care of themselves and everyone around them as we work our way into winter safely.”