This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his Strike Force to Open Texas late Wednesday announced an additional phase of loosening pandemic-response protocols for restaurants and bars.
Starting immediately, restaurants can now seat parties of up to 10 per table, use all partitioned booth seating and reduce distance between tables to four feet so long as partitions separate parties. Bars can also increase to 50% capacity as long as guests remain seated.
Starting June 12, restaurants can expand to 75% occupancy, and restaurants and bars can reopen valet services, video games and interactive amusements such as pool and darts.
“We know restaurants and bars still have a long and uncertain path towards recovery, but [this] announcement brings us one step closer to our shared goal of rebuilding our economy while keeping employees and customers safe,” Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) CEO Emily Williams said in written statement.
In May, The TRA and the Texas Restaurant Association Education Fund sent a Texas Restaurant Survival Plan to state officials including Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Williams Knight added that her organization stands ready to help Texas food and beverage businesses implement the new protocols.
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This article appears in Jun 3-16, 2020.
