DETROIT – Michigan restaurants have only had ten days to make changes and get ramped up for Monday, Feb. 1.
Those changes include indoor dining being capped at 25 percent capacity. Tables must be six feet apart with no more than six people at each table. Bars and restaurants must also close before 10 p.m. daily.
Scott Sitner, a customer of Lily’s Seafood Grill and Brewery wants to support local restaurants. He has witnessed firsthand the damage left behind by the COVID-19 restrictions.
“I’ve known a dozen out of business now teetering on the edge,” he said.
Sitner had a business meeting and chose to meet in-person for lunch inside Lily’s Seafood Grill and Brewery as it opened its doors for the first time in months.
Liz Morton runs Lily’s Seafood Grill and Brewery.
“So excited, phone is ringing off the hook,” she said.
Morton is fine with the state restrictions of keeping capacity to just 25 percent.
“I think we can keep things rolling. We have carry-out tents and greenhouses,” she said.
Shaun Stez of Cadillac Straits Brewing Company in Madison Heights has an interesting perspective on Monday.
“So good to be back. So, so good to be back out,” said Stez.
The business was closed Monday, but will reopen Tuesday for in-door dining.
His brewery found a way to survive and he wants other businesses to survive too.