Dining: Details on what this means for restaurant and bars.
“I kind of anticipated it with Texas opening up. But I think it’s an experiment into uncharted territory for everybody.”
Rodney Hu
Owner of Yucca Taproom in Tempe
On Friday morning, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced an executive order lifting capacity requirements on businesses throughout the state.
A press release accompanying the announcement published by Ducey’s office explains that the order “applies to restaurants, gyms, theaters, water parks, bowling alleys, and bars providing dine in services.”
Ducey’s decision to remove capacity limits comes days after states including Texas and Mississippi announced they would lift mask mandates and other COVID-19 safety measures.
On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, “I just announced Texas is OPEN 100%. EVERYTHING.”
The move drew harsh criticism from national health experts and other states around the nation, as the pandemic continues and vaccine distribution progress has yet to reach restaurant workers in many areas.
Rodney Hu, owner of Yucca Taproom in Tempe, said he guessed Arizona might be next to lift some restrictions on restaurants.
“I kind of anticipated it with Texas opening up,” he said. “But I think it’s an experiment into uncharted territory for everybody.”
In most Arizona counties including Maricopa and Pima, restaurant workers and other essential workers under the age of 55 do not yet have access to vaccine appointments.
Gov. Ducey’s order does not lift mask requirements, as Arizona has never had a state-wide mandate. However, his order outlines that the Arizona Department of Health Services requirement for mask wearing inside restaurants when customers are not seated remains in place.
“We’ve learned a lot over the past year,” Ducey wrote in a statement. “Our businesses have done an excellent job at responding to this pandemic in a safe and responsible way. We will always admire the sacrifice they and their employees have made and their vigilance to protect against the virus.”
Chef and restaurant owner Danielle Leoni said thanking business owners does little in the way of keeping the public safe.
She has been working to secure assistance for independent restaurants throughout the pandemic even as her restaurant, The Breadfruit & Rum Bar in downtown Phoenix, remains closed.
“To this day, a year later, I am still looking for Gov. Ducey to stand up and please govern,” Leoni said. “He just totally relinquished all of it, he just issued this order saying, ‘good luck kids, have fun with COVID.’”
What does this mean for restaurants?
Ducey’s executive order lifts the current requirement that Arizona restaurants must limit their indoor dining capacity to 50% of what the space holds.
Other requirements, including mask wearing when customers aren’t seated, physical distancing between tables and limiting standing areas where customers might crowd to wait for a seat, are still in place, according to the order.
“Today’s announcement is a measured approach; we are not in the clear yet,” Ducey wrote in a statement. “We need to continue practicing personal responsibility. Wear a mask. Social distance. Stay home when you’re sick and wash your hands frequently.”
The governor’s order does not explain how restaurants should open at full capacity while maintaining 6 feet between tables.
Leoni said the executive order will help large restaurants with space to spread out crowds more than small, independently owned businesses.
“It’s like a pseudo move,” she said. “If we were going to observe the 6-feet rules, I don’t know that we would be able to accommodate many more people, we’d be at the same capacity as we were.”
She went on to explain that she’d love to open her restaurant, but she does not feel safe doing so while the pandemic continues.
“I don’t want to do this any more either. I’m sick of COVID, I’m sick of my restaurant being closed, I’m sick of trying to figure out how I am going to survive,” Leoni said. “So yeah, I’d be so thrilled to open. I’d be dancing in the street but knowing that it was safe. But it’s just not safe. Nothing has changed.”
What does this mean for bars?
Under current regulations, Arizona bars that serve food and can otherwise operate as a restaurant are allowed to be open.
The March 5 order, eliminating capacity requirements, applies to these bars as well, according to a news release from Ducey’s office.
Hu of Yucca Taproom said Ducey’s order leaves him feeling confused and conflicted.
“I am absolutely excited businesswise, but health-wise and politically, I’m torn,” Hu said.
“I don’t know that there’s a right answer.”
Bars have been “discriminated against” by the governor, Hu said. The alleged discrimination has lead a group of bar owners to sue the governor for the right to reopen and for the exclusive right to sell takeout alcohol. The case is set to be heard before the state Supreme Court next week.
After his own bar opened and closed numerous times during the last year due, Hu said he’s happy that bars with food have been included in the March 5 order.
But considering the continued requirement of 6-feet spacing, he’s unsure how much it will help. Hu looks forward to the day he can host shows at Yucca Tap Room, something that makes up the bulk of his business, he said.
Under existing regulations from the state, bars that do not serve food remain closed in Arizona.
There is no mention of these businesses in the executive order regarding capacity.