ARLINGTON, Texas — Brandon Hurtado opened his first brick and mortar restaurant in February, right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.
Hurtado Barbecue sits about a mile away from AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
"Perhaps the most challenging thing was during the beef crisis whenever processing plants were closed down due to COVID. Beef prices were through the roof," Hurtado said. "That's been the scariest thing. I think at one point, we had to go to 12 or 13 different Krogers, Walmarts every day just to try and find enough brisket to stay open."
But months later, things are different.
“Since, I think, the MLB playoffs, things have gotten a lot better,” Hurtado said. “We are so close to Texas Live, Globe Life Field, and AT&T stadium, so that has brought a lot of sporting events and things that we initially had planned on having on a regular basis. But they're just now starting to allow some of those events to take place, and we're starting to see the benefits from that.”
The increase in customers means Hurtado Barbecue has also stepped up its safety protocols, including limited capacity, social distancing markers on the floor and sanitizer stations through the store.
“Safety is our number one priority whenever we're having people come to town. We want them to enjoy themselves, but they need to stay safe,” Hurtado said.
Last week, Arlington hosted several high school football playoff games. The Big 12 Championship was at AT&T Stadium on Saturday. On Sunday, the Cowboys beat the 49ers at home.
In a statement, the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau said:
“Arlington is taking all precautions to ensure any and all events we have in our city are safe, secure and meet all state and federal COVID-19 guidelines, as we have done since the beginning of the pandemic and for previous events. While this event and the others played have an impact on local businesses in a positive way, the absolute main priority of Arlington is and always will be the health and wellness of those who live in and visit our city.”
Medical experts are concerned about recent data.
The DFW Hospital Council said North Texas is seeing the most hospitalized COVID-19 patients ever. DFW Hospital Council President Stephen Love said Monday there are 77 available staffed adult ICU beds in Trauma Service Area “E,” which includes most of North Texas.
“The concern is we're going into this holiday at a very high level of not only cases, but hospitalizations and unfortunately, deaths,” Love said. “If we don't tamp down this community spread, the end of December and January could be quite troubling.”
The end of December and January do include a Cowboys home game, the Cotton Bowl Classic, and the Rose Bowl.
According to the CDC, the highest risk of COVID-19 spread can happen at “large in-person gatherings” where “attendees travel from outside the local area.”
The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association (CBAA) is confident they can host the event safely.
CBAA Chairman Bry Patton said that includes putting players and staff in a bubble at the Hilton Anatole.
“I think everybody needs to know our number one priority is the health and safety of our student athletes, our coaches, our fans and everybody involved with the game,” Patton said.
Patton said they canceled many Cotton Bowl events, and that bands and cheerleaders won't be coming. The CBAA has also been in close contact with the Jones family, to learn best safety practices for AT&T Stadium.
“We're very fortunate to be able to have taken a look and assess that, in fact, the Cowboys are doing it right. And the Big 12 game went off without a hitch, so I feel real good about that we're covering all the bases," Patton said.