TEMPLETON — Fig at Courtney’s House is back serving good food again. The popular North County restaurant reopened July 30.
The eatery has been closed since Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his stay-home orders in mid-March to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Restaurants have reopened but can only offer outside dining and grab-and-go. Fig, like many restaurants, has scaled back its menu and is currently serving brunch Thursday through Sunday, starting at 10:30 a.m.
“You are seeing more of a version that is back to my old roots because, for the last four years, we’ve had a packed patio, porch sit-down, full-service restaurant,” said Fig Executive Director Christina Dillow. “We are completely reinvented in a new style to fit the new era.”
All ordering is done at the counter. People can place orders online for pickup.
Carrie Sanders opened Courtney’s House in 2012 as a nonprofit resource center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing a safe, supportive environment for social and enrichment activities.
The idea was born to open a restaurant, offering job training and employment in a community-oriented setting.
A serendipitous encounter led to Courtney’s House and local restaurateur’s partnership, Dillow of FigGoodFood, in Atascadero. Fig at Courtney’s House opened in June 2016.
With COVID-19 cases surging across the state, Dillow said they considered waiting even longer to reopen.
“We decided to simplify. We almost didn’t reopen, but we have grants coming in,” Dillow said. “We have a base of philanthropists who donate to our cause regularly. They believe in us. It was enough for us to go, OK let’s just reinvent it.”
And it would be a shame not to have people eating in the tranquil gardens that surround the charming Victorian-era house that overlooks the Templeton Park.
“What a shame to not have people enjoying the property,” Dillow said.
Dillow said they seriously began looking at reopening about six weeks ago. A portion of the staff was ready to come back, but some were not.
“Everyone’s routine’s are so disrupted it’s hard for people to commit,” Dillow said. “It was hard for us to commit. Every day was different. One day it was like OK today it feels right. Tomorrow it wasn’t. We weren’t all on the same page on the same day, basically. Once we all decided at the same time, let’s do it, it all fell into place.”
A new addition that people will notice is the Plant Ivy food truck nestled next to Courney’s House. Plant Ivy is a vegetarian food truck owned by Ivy Alvarado that specializes in one of the most popular meatless hamburgers: The Impossible Burger. It’s not open every day, visit www.plantivy.net for hours and menu. Alvarado, 26, is a young woman with disabilities.
Fig at Courtney’s House has also changed its hours of operation. Visit www.figgoodfood.org/ for hours, menu, or to place an order online.
Dillow said they are still working out some of the kinks and hopes people will be patient.
“Everybody is just going to have to relax,” Dillow said. “Timing is going to be the biggest issue.”
