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How eager are you to enjoy time inside restaurants and bars again? Don't answer until you see what it'll be like.
A preview of the new abnormal for dining and drinking publicly comes from that industry's Lansing trade group, which today posts a 26-page "Roadmap to Reopening" for owners, managers and the governor's office. The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association wants Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to let members resume serving May 29.
"Half of all states have already reopened restaurant dining in some capacity," association leader Justin Winslow says in a media release. "Michigan restaurants have been decimated since their forced closure on March 16."
Detailed guidelines and checklists are intended "to put restaurateurs in a position to safely reopen operations, while giving the general public confidence that they can safely return to their favorite restaurants," the handout adds.
Safely is one thing, but comfortably is another matter.
Dining out could start with a detailed health check at the host station or when reserving a table. Suggested questions (pictured) include a particularly unappetizing one.
In addition to mask-wearing and spacing to allow six feet between tables and barstools, the association recommends that all guests be asked whether they have an abnormal fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat or diarrhea. Two more questions are suggested, and any "yes" reply would block entry. ("We will prepare a takeout meal while you wait in your car," hosts are advised to say.)
Things obviously will be weird whenever the governor lets hospitality businesses reopen, though we hope being asked about bowels won't be part of the drill.
It'll be equally strange, or moreso, for those operating and working in restaurants. "Your organization will need to appoint a Covid-19 lead employee for every shift," the new guidbook says, "and establish a protocol for potential Covid-19 issues within your business."
Besides intensive sanitation and food-handling precautions, recommendations include worker and vendor health screenings, gloves and masks for all employees, eliminating tabletop condiments and other steps.
Severe economic impact is behind the push to resume serving.
"The restaurant industry is among the hardest hit by Covid-19," says Friday's news release. "Since the Covid-19 outbreak, 249,000 restaurant employees have been furloughed or laid off in Michigan.
"Between March 1 and April 16, 55 percent of Michigan restaurants temporarily (53%) or permanently (2%) closed for business. This represents thousands of businesses based upon a total of 17,557 eating and drinking locations in Michigan in 2019."
