As the COVID-19 outbreak in Oregon continues to impact the local restaurant market, stories are popping up across the city, from food cart owners giving away free meals to chefs starting Instagram cooking classes. In this new version of AM Intel, we dive into different ways the state’s food service industry has been responding to the global pandemic. For more COVID-19 stories, check out our larger story stream.

Reopening Time

This weekend was a big one for the food and beverage across Oregon: Restaurants and bars in 31 counties began to reopen for onsite dining, though not all of the restaurant owners in towns like Bend, Cannon Beach, and Eugene reopened their dining rooms. Some, like Crux Fermentation Project in Bend, simply reopened their patios. Others decided to wait it out altogether, like Bangers & Brews in Eugene. Still, places like North Fork — another Eugene restaurant — did reopen for lunch and dinner, after a deep cleaning of the space.

In Portland, restaurants couldn’t reopen for onsite diners, but some spots that have been closed entirely have announced plans to get into the takeout game. For instance, Ataula — the Northwest Portland Spanish restaurant and Eater 38 stalwart — will reopen for takeout and delivery May 21, with a menu of paellas, roast chicken with romesco, sangrias, and more. Ataula isn’t the only one: Ned Ludd, the influential Pacific Northwestern restaurant, will open “Ned Ludd Larder” on the 21st as well, with a selection of pickles, sourdough starter, house charcuterie, and Briar Rose cheeses. Seafood spot Jacqueline will open a day earlier with a menu of takeout, including tacos, seafood buns, and ceviche, but the restaurant is looking forward, as well — once Portland restaurants can reopen for dine-in service, Jacqueline will only take orders at the bar, forgoing table service to accommodate spacing restrictions.

In Other News...

• Breakside Brewery’s Ben Edmunds thinks you won’t pay as much for craft beer once the pandemic is over. [Willamette Week]
• While wineries in the Willamette Valley like Stoller reopened their tasting rooms this weekend, Sokol Blosser has decided to wait, potentially until June. [Portland Business Journal]
• Mississippi Pizza Pub has started to offer family-friendly pizza kits, including a 16-inch par-baked crust, pizza sauce, mozzarella, a choice of toppings, a raw dough ball for breadsticks or a second mini-pizza, chocolate chip cookie dough balls, and a CD by local kids performers like Red Yarn or Keli Welli. The kit is $22, with $2.50 for each topping. [EaterWire]