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June 16, 2020

CT restaurant leader: Indoor dining a promising development

HBJ Photo | Joe Cooper Bear's Smokehouse BBQ in downtown Harford is among the restaurants participating in the state tourism office's "Drinks Are On Us" promotion.
By Sean Teehan

As Connecticut restaurants prepare to begin limited indoor dining Wednesday, Connecticut Restaurant Association Executive Director Scott Dolch says the new allowances will help restaurants start regaining their footing.

Under the "Phase 2" rules, restaurants that received certification from the Department of Economic and Community Development for outdoor dining during "Phase 1" will be allowed to serve customers indoors at 50% capacity. The new rules require tables to be spaced six feet apart, or have nonporous barriers -- like plexiglass -- between them.

Another win for the state restaurant industry, Dolch said, is that the new regulations also allow them to serve customers at bars, so long as barriers are erected between customers and staff -- much like ones seen at coffee shops and retail stores -- and between customers who aren't in the same party.

Scott Dolch, Executive Director, Connecticut Restaurant Association

"Bars weren't even part of the conversation a couple of weeks ago for Phase 2," Dolch said. "At the end of the day, 50% inside still isn't getting us back to normalcy… but it's a step."

[Read more: A guide for CT's second phase reopening plan]

Dolch said he wasn't sure how many restaurants will reopen with indoor dining on Wednesday, but restaurants being allowed to add indoor dining in addition to outdoor and takeout services should greatly improve their prospects. Fewer than a quarter of CRA members reopened for outdoor dining, Dolch said.

Restaurants in Connecticut have been earning the confidence of diners throughout the COVID-19-related restrictions, Dolch said, and that's part of why he thinks expanded allowances from the state are warranted. Additionally, Dolch credits DECD Commissioner David Lehman with giving restaurants a seat at the table, and weighing their business concerns with public health.

But even though the state lifting its complete ban on indoor restaurant service is a welcome development, Dolch pointed out that restaurants run on thin profit margins when they're able to operate at 100% capacity.

"I do think more and more restaurants now are having the opportunity to open, and get their staffs back," Dolch said. "[But] this isn't about really a business model that's profitable, this is about survival."

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