Restaurants across the state are allowed to reopen for in-person dining today, but some business owners have determined the capacity regulations aren’t worth reopening for.
Autumn Weston is the fourth-generation owner of Weston’s Kewpee Sandwich Shop in downtown Lansing. She says before the pandemic, business was booming.
Under the latest state order, food and drink industry businesses can reopen at 25 percent capacity with a 10pm curfew. Weston says she’s choosing not to open up in-person dining.
“Bottom line, we want to keep our customers and my staff safe. And, you know, we serve comfort foods, so we want them to be in a comfortable environment.”
The last time restaurant dining rooms were open, there was a 50% capacity limit. The state halted in-person dining a weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday.