Restaurants not happy, willing to comply with new COVID rules

Restaurants are bearing the brunt of new rules meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan. State health officials announced last week that restaurants will have to limit parties to six people per table and collect contact information from patrons to be used in case contact tracing is needed.

Some industry advocates aren’t happy with the the restrictions.

Justin Winslow, the CEO and president of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, complained that the rules would “result in job loss, foreclosure and fewer restaurants than it will prevent transmission.”

But restaurateurs are willing to go along with the new regulations if it will help stop the coronavirus.

Julie Stanley is the owner of Food Dance, a restaurant in downtown Kalamazoo. She said it’ll be hassle but they’ll do what they have to do.

“I think parties of families that come in that are ten are going to have a hard time, but we’ll just split them up,” she said in an interview with WWMT.

She said collecting contact information from patrons will be easier since they already do that for reservations anyway.

The new rules go into effect on Monday.

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