BOSTON — The future of eating out at restaurants remains uncertain with restaurant owners and eager customers waiting to find out when Massachusetts’ dine-in ban will be lifted.
The process of returning to a casual dining experience could take months.
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has been working within a coalition of seven northeastern states to craft a recovery and re-opening plan.
According to the association, about 80 percent of the restaurants in Massachusetts are entirely closed and not doing take out or delivery.
“The longer this goes on, the higher likelihood more and more restaurants aren’t going to get to the other side,” said Bob Luz, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “I would hope restaurants can reopen no later than June first.”
Bob Luz, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, says re-opening will likely happen in multiple phases.
He told Boston 25 News that phase one will likely include limits on seating capacity, with tables spaced farther apart. According to Luz, sitting down could require reservations with a time limit.
He said there are also some ideas about requiring a questionnaire to book a reservation – potentially only allowing families or people in the same household to dine together at first.
“We want to be able to let families come back out,” explained Luz. “Those conversations were arrived at because of what’s happening in other countries that are ahead of us.”
Luz said conversations are still in the preliminary phase and that nothing is set in stone. He also described additional re-opening strategies being discussed, including encouraging diners to wear masks when checking in and single-use menus.
“There are also ideas about allowing restaurants to operate outside the boundaries of four walls. Let them operate in larger patio spaces, sidewalks and parking lots,” said Luz.
Jonathan Gilman, co-founder and owner of Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen in Brighton, believes required reservations and stepped up restrictions during phase one could help provide a safe atmosphere.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw something measuring guests or workers temperature through some sort of forehead scan,” said Jonathan Gilman. “Even when we’ve gotten to the third or final phase, you’re going to see a shift in the way restaurants operate.”
Gilman told Boston 25 News the current dine-in ban has forced his business and others to get creative in continuing to operate.
“We’ve been offering virtual dinners. We send the meal kit to people. They get five courses. We’ll talk people through each and every course… give them a fully immersive experience that lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half,” explained Gilman.
Gilman said the last thing his restaurant would want to do is re-open too early and then have to shut down again.
“It won’t go right back to the way it was. The last thing we would want to do is take steps backwards in the process,” he said.
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