Is Limited Dine In Service Worth Opening Up For
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she'll ease restrictions on restaurants and bars throughout Michigan beginning on June 8, allowing for limited dine in service.
According to the Lansing State Journal, there are several restaurants who aren't sure limited seating is worth opening for.
One store owner in the Okemos area said, "if we're not full, if we're not busy, we can't make money and that's in regular times."
Most restaurant owners and general managers said they'll open their dining rooms as soon as they're allowed. But, they're not enthusiastic about it, given the restrictions and uncertainties and more.
Greg Sinicropi, who is the owner of Art's Pub in Lansing said, "the biggest thing for me is how to set up the customer interaction with people who are scared of the coronavirus and people who don't care."
No one has any idea how comfortable their customer base will be. And in some cases, whether their employees will see the risk as worth it.
Most restaurants have laid off the majority of their servers, cooks and bartenders, who are now making more on unemployment insurance.
Here's the bottom line: whether it's financially worth it varies by restaurant. Every place has a different cost structure.
Even though patrons are looking forward to dining out again with certain restrictions, I can completely understand why several restaurant owners and managers feel the way they do.