The dining room at Roma’s Italian Kitchen in Longview is empty on Thursday, March 19, 2020. To combat the spread of the new coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide ban on all in-restaurant dining, effective at midnight today. (Les Hassell/News-Journal Photo)

Longview-area restaurants and bars already facing a slump because of the COVID-19 pandemic are scrambling after a governor’s order to close inside service temporarily.

Owners and managers contacted said they are resigned to follow the mandate Gov. Greg Abbott issued Thursday afternoon. The order is effective after midnight today through midnight April 3.

Restaurants will be able to provide take-out orders and deliver meals, and some of them said they hope to see more volume.

“It’s appropriate,” Will Ruegg, owner with wife Pat of the Lil Thai House in downtown Longview, said about Abbott’s order. “It’s just painful.”

Ruegg said he has been following the new coronavirus from the start and began limiting service to takeout orders this past week in anticipation of a dine-in ban. He said reaction from customers was negative on the first day, so Lil Thai House let them eat inside the next day.

“All we are doing is takeouts right now,” Ruegg said. “Everybody is staying at home. You’ve got to get everybody on the same page.”

Ardian Marevci, one of the owners of Roma’s Italian Kitchen also in downtown Longview, expressed similar views and said he believes Abbott made the right decision to protect the public.

“We have to do whatever we have to do,” Marevci said. He said he hopes more customers will order online by using delivery services such as Waitr or Grubhub.

Roma’s is largely a sit-down restaurant, as are the four Tele’s Mexican restaurants serving the Longview area, according to General Manager Christina Castillo.

Castillo said takeout orders have stepped up but said her family plans to close the eatery on Gilmer Road on Saturday until further notice.

“The servers, they work on their tips,” Castillo said. “We may add delivery, just depending on how next week goes.”

Pinecrest Country Club in Longview will suspend all food and beverage services from 7 p.m. today through April 3 “unless the restrictions are extended,” Alex Raimondi, transition chief operating officer, said in a statement. The clubhouse will stay closed, but its office staff will be available 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. The golf course will remain open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday to April 3 until further notice.

Rudy Kiapeta, owner with his wife, Miriam, of Tuscan Pig Italian Kitchen on South High Street in Longview, also expressed concern about servers losing tip money and said the restaurant will be on vacation until Abbott lifts the ban.

Herb & Dee’s Breakroom bar on West Marshall Avenue will close temporarily after midnight today, owner Herb Wilburn said.

“The employees are going to be without pay,” Wilburn said. “People are already sequestering themselves. Our business has already dropped off. … It is going to be hurting mostly small businesses.”

Ruegg at The Lil Thai House said, “We are trying to limp along and be patient, and, hopefully, the supply chain will pick up again.”

Marevci at Roma’s also urged patience.

“Be patient, and try to stay together as much as we can,” he said. “Nothing will stop us. Be positive.”