DENVER — Denver will not extend its stay-at-home order past this Friday, meaning some of the restrictions will be lifted.
That doesn't mean life will return to normal anytime soon. While easing restrictions in Denver is a step closer to reopening all of Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis said it will be weeks longer at the least before the state allows people to sit down in restaurants.
"We’d like to see a definitive date on when restaurants are actually going to be allowed to reopen," said Sonia Riggs, the CEO and president of the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA).
During a news briefing Monday afternoon, Polis said he and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) haven't set a date for when restaurants' dining rooms can reopen statewide. He said they need to collect data from over the next two weeks first that will help create proper guidelines for businesses to do so safely.
"Because even if they open and customers fear going there, they wouldn’t be doing very well," Polis said. "We want to make sure that it’s done safely, that it inspires confidence in the people that work in the restaurant industry and the customers as well. We’re going to get that done as soon as we can.”
Restaurant owners across Colorado like Juan Padro, the CEO of Culinary Creative as well as Tap and Burger concepts, said they will follow whatever instructions are given.
"Our responsibility is to gain the trust of our guests, and that’s never changed," Padro said. "We’re going to have to put the measures in place that make people feel like, 'Hey, we’re willing to take a chance on that establishment.'"
But CRA said the clock is ticking to set a date to reopen dine-in services. Riggs said businesses need at least two weeks notice to appropriately schedule staff and stock necessary supplies.
"Another key thing we’re asking for is flexibility from the government at all levels, meaning if they'll allow restaurants the flexibility to be able to expand their dining options outside of the restaurant — for example onto patios or expand their patios into the parking lots," Riggs said. "In some places, we’ve even heard about street closures. We’ve also heard about potentially working with your neighbor and allowing that restaurant to expand their capacity into the front area of the neighboring business."
While restaurants wait for Polis and CDPHE to give them a green light, more say that a threat of permanent closure moves closer to becoming reality.
Ninety-one percent of Colorado restaurant operators said they have laid off or furloughed employees since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in March, according to results from a CRA survey; 21% of operators anticipate laying off or furloughing additional employees during the next 30 days.
"An even more saddening...number is, we’ve heard from restaurants in the Denver area if they’re not able to reopen by the end of May, 30% will likely close permanently," Riggs said. "Overall in Colorado, we saw that figure at a 22% average of those that say they will have to consider closing their doors permanently if they’re not able to reopen."
Riggs said the CRA would like to see restaurants open as soon as possible. Polis said they're seeking feedback from restaurants across the state on safety guidelines.
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