Guidelines For The Continued Reopening Of Restaurants

After the first week of restaurants being able to offer dine-in services at 50 percent capacity in the state of Michigan, it appears that demand remains high but some consumers prefer to only eat indoors at home. We have a number of restaurant clients and being able to service more than just takeout is a huge step to the reopening of Michigan’s economy.

Regardless if you’re a restaurant, coffee shop, or other business that services food or drinks, you may want to review some of the options you have to further increase your revenue even as some customers may not be ready for traditional dine-in services. It’s interesting to note that only about 50 percent of restaurants were prepared to reopen on June 8, according to Justin Winslow, CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) in an MLive article.

Restaurants that reopen are being required to comply with new social distancing and health requirements, such as lower capacity guidelines (starting at 50% of indoor diners) and having all staff wear personal protective equipment such as masks, and when appropriate gloves, to minimize contact risks.

The MRLA has created a helpful reopening strategy with plenty of resources from confirming requirements to ready-to-print signage for both restaurants and hospitality businesses as they start to more fully reopen. The website includes resources for outdoor service areas, which is helpful for businesses whether they have or have not had outdoor seating before. Many local municipalities have also eased restrictions on outdoor seating to make it easier for restaurants and hospitality businesses to address consumer demand while promoting social distancing.

Whether you are an owner, manager, or employee of any of these businesses, check out the MRLA site for not just requirements but helpful tips to safely practice social distancing for you, your colleagues, and your customers.

As always if you have questions, the team at Bashore Green can help.