Atlanta restaurants are faced with a difficult decision right now. Since Governor Kemp has lifted the ban on dining inside bars and restaurants, each business owner must decide if they can, and should, attempt to comply with the new restrictions in place for those reopening. Can they adequately protect their staff and patrons? Can they follow the newly released mandates correctly given their current space and location constraints? Can they afford to remain closed, whether doing so is in their best interests or not? All of these questions have kept many a restaurant owner up at night for several days, and will likely continue to for the next several weeks.
For those who either have or plan to reopen, there are many new hoops to jump through to be in compliance with state guidelines. If you are wondering what the restaurant experience will be like when you venture out, here’s a rundown of the new rules in place, along with some potential questions and complications!
- Party size is limited to no more than 6 people per table. What if you are a family unit of 7, who has been sheltering in place together? You will likely need to occupy two tables instead of one.
- All employees must wear masks at all times.
- Salad bars and buffets will no longer be allowed. This will preclude some restaurants from opening at all, or else force them to change their business model if buffets were their normal offering.
- No more than 10 patrons per 500 square feet of dining space are allowed inside at a time. Smaller locations may decide it isn’t worth the cost of operating if they can have only a handful of diners at once.
- Say goodbye for now to self service. Drink refills and condiments will now be provided by wait staff even in the casual restaurants where you are used to getting such things yourself.
Additionally, the governor has advised anyone with a preexisting condition and anyone over 65 to continue to shelter in place and avoid dining out for now. There will likely be additional tweaks made to this list of regulations, and we will continue to monitor how local Atlanta businesses are affected.