In the D.C. area, some restaurants are allowed to open Friday for the first time since closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Most of Maryland, D.C. and Northern Virginia are allowing restaurants to open up to diners this weekend instead of just offering takeout.
REOPENING PLANS AROUND THE REGION:
- D.C.
- Montgomery County
- Northern Virginia
- Prince George’s County
- Frederick, Anne Arundel and Charles counties
But customers won’t be eating inside. Restaurants can only serve customers at outside tables.
That has already been the case in other parts of Virginia, but it’s still yet to be seen whether customers will feel comfortable returning.
“Henrico and Chesterfield counties and Hanover county, they all opened and they’ve had really no issues, and I know that some have expanded their patios,” said Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association.
Under new guidelines, tables need to be 6 feet apart, reusable menus should be used and servers should be in masks.
“I’m hopeful that our customers are going to be comfortable coming back,” Terry said.
In D.C., restaurants are encouraged — but not required — to ask customers to sign in, so they can be notified if they might have been exposed to an employee or another customer with the coronavirus.
Terry said while it’s a step in the right direction, restaurants are most likely still going to struggle.
“Unless we move pretty quickly into Phase Two, I still think you’ll see some restaurants close, because it really is still a pretty difficult business, and many of them even at 50% when we get to the Phase 2 are still going to struggle.
We’ve never seen anything like this, 9/11, the Great Recession, all of those have really dwarfed in comparison to this issue,” Terry said.
While the restaurant experience will look different this weekend, Terry said he thinks that it’s a step in the right direction in serving up some relief to the industry.
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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
Still, some restaurant owners are hesitant to open their doors. Lance Cook, owner and operating manager of Tino’s Italian Bistro & Wine Bar in Columbia, Maryland, said he has “mixed emotions.”
“I love the idea of getting back to business and seeing our great community, but at what possible cost?” Cook told WTOP.
“I’d never forgive myself if a staff member or customer believed they contracted COVID-19 because of Tino’s.
We’ve been preparing for a while for a gradual reopening, but there’s a lot to do. I won’t be opening our patio until I’m sure our procedures for staff and customers are solid.”
