Champ's Pub owner Dave "Champ" Beauchamp said he is frustratedwith ongoing state restrictionsas he prepares to reopen indoor dining at his Brighton pub next month.
And some other restaurant staff in Livingston County agreed with him Friday following the state's announcement of a reopening plan.
Restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen indoor dining Feb. 1 with capacity limits and a 10 p.m. curfew.
While Champ's Pubstaff was relieved indoor dining will reopen, Beauchamp saidrevenue is down and reopening at 25% capacity— 25 seats out of 100 at the pub — is not enough.
Charity and Paycheck Protection Program loans are helping him fill in financial gaps from lost revenue, he said, but COVID-19 restrictions remain hurdles.
In December, internet personality and sports blogger David Portnoy video-called Beauchamp to tell him Champ’s Pub was selected to receive donations through The Barstool Fund. Portnoy, who founded the blog Barstool Sports, had raised more than $29 million for 166 small businesses as of Friday.
Beauchamp would not say how much the pubreceived from The Barstool Fund, but he said it made a significant difference.
"It’s filled the gap of what the cash flow is for payroll and the necessities."
But the state's restrictions on restaurants and bars are too strict, he said.
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"We have been 10 months in limbo doing a fraction of what we’d normally be doing, and after having spent considerable dollars adapting our place to the requirements — they wanted with Plexiglas, taking tables out and the PPE we had to purchase—and then having it back at25%. It’s extremely frustrating."
During the suspension of in-person dining, Champ's Pub is doing carry-out. The pub has two dining igloos outside, which book up fast, Beauchamp said.
"The employees are working at some reduced hours because there just isn’t the business (with) carry-out and the two tables. It was not as bad when the weather was good and we had eight tables on the sidewalk."
In November, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state health officials enacted what she described as a temporary ban on indoor dining, in-person classes and any operations at venues such as movie theaters or bowling alleys.While the state has rolled back many of these restrictions, restaurants and bars have not been allowed to offer indoor dining.
George's Restaurant in Howell had about seven employees before the pandemic began. These days, it's just ownerRobert Domgjoni, with other folks stepping in to help when needed, manager Heather Thierry said.
Being able to seat some customers is good news, but it will be tough to make things work at just 25% capacity, Thierry said.
"What's that, five tables?" she said. "I don't really know how it's going to go, especially since we've been suffering so badly with just carry-out at this time."
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The restaurant has done all it can to comply with health orders, installing plastic glass between booths, setting up outdoor seating andbuyingsanitizing machines, she said.
"It's been hard since Nov. 18," Thierry said. "But we're going to keep trying."
Kristin Davis, a waitress at Mimi's Diner in Hamburg Township, said the past few months have been a struggle.
"It's not only a struggle for the owners, but the employees as well," Davis said.
With only carry-outservice, waitstaff have been starved for tip money. Davis said each waitress has been making an average of $35 in tips each shift.
"Once in a blue moon it might be better, but people don't tip," she said. "Not everybody knows to tip oncarry-outs."
Davis thinks business will improve when the ban on indoor dining is lifted, but Mimi's Diner is a small place, and keeping it at 25%capacity means each waitress will cover about twotables per shift. She is also concerned about how many customers will be willing to wait outside or in their car for a table.
"It's in the middle of winter and we can't have people wait inside," she said.
Davis, who has worked as a server for more than 30 years, said it's been hard to see restaurants struggling like they have during the pandemic.
"This is almost all I've ever done my entire life," she said. "I hope all restaurants survive this."
Concessions at movie theaters will also be allowed to reopen.
MJR Digital Cinemas, which owns a movie theater in Brighton, announced Friday it will bring in-theater concessions back Feb. 1.
"This is a great step towards rebuilding an industry hit hard by the pandemic," MJR Digital Cinemas Vice President of OperationsJoel Kincaid said in a Friday release.
Starting Feb. 1, staterestrictions on indoor diningwill include:
- No more than 6 people to a table, with tables set at least six feet apart
- No more than 100 people or 25% capacity, whichever is smaller
- No mingling with other patrons outside your diner group or in common areas or other places, such as dance floors
- All restaurants must obtain contact information for every person who eats indoors. This is crucial for contact tracing in the event someone who ate at a restaurant gets COVID-19.
- If an employee contracts COVID-19 or shows symptoms at work, the venue must shut down until a deep cleaning is conducted.
Detroit Free Press reporters Dave Boucher and Kristen Jordan Shamus contributed to this article.
ContactLivingston Daily reporterJennifer Timar at jtimar@livingstondaily.com.Follow her on Twitter @jennifer_timar.
