Le Voltaire adjusts policies during COVID-19 pandemic, returns to full capacity with support of customers
Juli Oberlander • September 27, 2021
Le Voltaire adjusts policies during COVID-19 pandemic, returns to full capacity with support of customers
Chef Wilson Calixte cooks in the Le Voltaire kitchen. Photos from the Le Voltaire Facebook page
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Le Voltaire French Restaurant has adjusted to the changes in health policies in order to ensure the health and safety of its customers.
In August, chef-owner Wilson Calixte took over from Cedric Fichepain, who is focusing on the Le Petit Paris French Bakery, a companion operation to Le Voltaire. Calixte says the pandemic brought many difficulties, but the team adapted and enjoyed support from customers as they worked to keep them safe.
"It was tough, but we had a good response from customers," he says. "We've been here for 20 years so we have a solid customer base."
When the pandemic first started in March 2020, Calixte says Le Voltaire was able to remain open thanks to a quick response from the team. While in-house dining was suspended until May 2020, the staff pivoted to offer take-out options to customers.
In his 7 years as a chef, Calixte says he has never seen anything like COVID-19, but Le Voltaire survived due to a fast adjustment and the support of the community. Layoffs were minimal, and some staff were able to work from home. When Le Voltaire returned to 50 percent capacity in May 2020, the restaurant operated under limited hours, requiring masks for customers and kitchen staff.
Calixte says the restaurant also followed Douglas County Health Department guidelines and encouraged hand washing.
"Hand washing should be a normal thing, but we made sure to remind our customers of that," he says. "We took all the precautions necessary to keep everyone safe."
In addition, Calixte says Le Voltaire staff required temperature checks at the door, modified the dining room to only allow 8 customers per table and encouraged social distancing. The team also completed extra cleaning measures, placing hand sanitizer at every table and wiping down surfaces after people finished eating. Staff even removed salt and pepper shakers from tables unless customers requested them and cleaned them thoroughly after customer use.
Calixte says the customers were grateful for the extra safety measures.
"Everything was done appropriately," he says. "Customers appreciated the extra steps we took."
During the worst of the pandemic, Le Voltaire also offered a 4-week, 8-class virtual wine tasting, which was held online every Wednesday and Thursday featuring red and white wines from around the world. Staff ran the 20 to 30-minute classes every week, and wine was available for pick-up at Le Petit Paris the week before each class.
After restrictions started to loosen, Calixte says Le Voltaire moved to 75 percent dining capacity. Once vaccines were readily available, the restaurant shifted to 100 percent capacity at the beginning of July 2021.
Since moving to 100 percent capacity, Calixte says business has been steady, as people started to get vaccinated and felt safer about dining out.
"Business is good," he says. "Most of our customers are above 50 years old, and they appreciated the extra precautions we took."
At this time, Calixte says some staff still wear masks, and most are vaccinated. Since March 2020, Le Voltaire has experienced zero COVID-19 cases in the kitchen and restaurant.
Calixte says Le Voltaire is also back to full staffing, with brunch coming Oct. 31. He also recently expanded the restaurant's hours and plans for Le Voltaire to take part in Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen, an annual event hosted by the Omaha Restaurant Association that features local chefs who prepare a 5 or 6-course meal with wine pairings. Proceeds go toward feeding the hungry through the Food Bank for the Heartland and raising money for culinary scholarships at the Metropolitan Community College Institute for the Culinary Arts.
While Calixte says he never wants to experience something like COVID-19 again, he feels more prepared if another lockdown were to happen.
"We have a plan to know how to succeed," he says. "We’re fully prepared to go through that again if we have to."
A Haiti native, Calixte has lived in Omaha since 2010. He says he loves the community and is thankful for the support of customers during this time.
"You learn, adapt and accept," Calixte says. "You do the best you can. We feel confident we have done the right thing."
Le Voltaire is open Tuesday-Saturday, serving lunch and dinner. Visit the website
and Facebook page
to see the restaurant's menu and hours.
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