“Today (Tuesday), we are announcing that restaurants and bars can operate at 50% capacity. READ: Michigan loosens COVID restrictions on restaurants -- here are all the detailsAdWhile some restaurants and bars welcome the news, some say it isn’t worth it. As things stand, this is about restaurants like Red Coat and how much they can handle. He decided the 50% capacity is still too risky and he won’t open for sit-down service yet. READ: New bill would allow Michigan bars to stay open until 4 a.m.READ: Here are the 14 changes to Michigan’s COVID rules: Restaurants, gyms, stadiums, retail, gatherings

LANSING, Mich. – Tuesday’s announcement that Michigan restaurants are able to increase their indoor dining capacity comes as good news for establishments that have now had to deal with two shutdowns since the pandemic started. “Today (Tuesday), we are announcing that restaurants and bars can operate at 50% capacity. READ: Michigan loosens COVID restrictions on restaurants -- here are all the detailsAd“It’s encouraging, it’s very encouraging,” said Nikola’s BBQ manager, Velko Milosevich. “I’m just hopeful by summer, things will return to normal. The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association issued a statement on the updated restriction:

Frustrated that restaurants are still at 25% capacity for indoor dining, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association (MRLA) released a plan to get restaurants back on stable financial ground that uses COVID positivity rates to determine restaurant density. Michigan’s current COVID positivity rate is just over 3%, which according to the plan from MRLA, would allow for 50% density. MRLA CEO Justin Winslow said restaurants that have reopened under the current 25% rule are doing it primarily to remind customers that they are still open. READ: 11 takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID update: Variant spreading, Michigan vaccinations, relief moneyAdAmato said the restaurant is more than a small business to her. “I think it’s time and this industry is owed some more concrete planning from the administration that can be driven by data.”READ MORE: