GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As of Monday, restaurants across Michigan can now welcome back customers to eat inside the building.
"There's excitement about being able to offer indoor dining at any level," says Brian Calley, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan. "But also there's the reality."
A reality that comes with restrictions. That includes a limit of 25% capacity, something Calley says isn't sustainable for many places.
"You think about anybody, lop off 75% of your potential revenue and how easy would it be for you to get by?" says Calley.
But some places are willing to take that risk.
"I don't know how profitable its going to be but the emotional and mental lift we're going to get out of it is well worth it to me," says Chris Perkey, chef and owner of Osteria Rossa in Grand Rapids. "That's really what we miss the most is just having any energy in this room at all."
Osteria Rossa will open up its dining room and bar on Tuesday, with social distancing markers and hand sanitizer already in place for guests. Perkey says one of the biggest challenges for him will be the 10 p.m. curfew for getting people out of the restaurant.
"You really only get 5 to 8 then to work with," says Perkey. "They have to be out at 10 so it's not like you can seat people at 9:30 and be like, 'sorry you've got to go!'"
Calley agrees the 10 p.m. curfew will pose a challenge for restaurants and bars, especially on weekends. He hopes that curfew is not extended when the order is up.
"As we've watched the waves of infections around the country and around a lot of other states, the curfew hasn't really made a difference, good or bad," says Calley.
The current order is set to expire on February 21.
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