KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Many are counting down the days until they can go back to their favorite restaurants and and enjoy lunch on a nice day.
In Kansas City, Missouri, that day is coming up on May 15, according to Mayor Quinton Lucas.
But bars and restaurants know that reopening isn't going to mean a free-for-all and that it will take some time to ease back into "the way it was."
"It's going to be a little different for us," said George Clarke, general manager of Charlie Hooper's in Brookside. "Everyone will be a little spaced out, but I think it's still going to come together."
Under Lucas' guidance, KCMO will reopen on May 15. Although Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced plans Monday for the first phase of a statewide reopening on May 4, businesses in KCMO will continue to be under the local stay-at-home order through May 15.
Restaurant managers are busy making plans for that day.
"The entire dining room is going to change. We'll have tables spaced out more, whereas before you just kind of crammed them in," Clarke said. "We'll have Plexiglas between booths, no condiments on the tables, everything will be single-use. You may not get a menu, you may have to look it up on your phone. All those things are things we're looking into."
This change is going to happen in waves.
"I think the city is going to dictate that to us, but yeah, I don't foresee us opening at full capacity on May 15 or whenever the deadline is," Clarke said.
At Wings Cafe in Westport, staff say they're still working out their plans.
"There will be more of a limit as far as how many customers we have in the building at one time. It'll be a gradual opening process," said Darrius McCray, kitchen manager at Wings Cafe.
Parson announced his "Show Me Strong Recovery" plan on Monday that involves four key components:
- Expand testing capacity and volume in the state;
- Expand reserves of PPE by opening public and private supply chains;
- Continue to monitor and, if necessary, expand hospital and health care system capacity, including isolation and alternate care facilities for those who cannot self-quarantine at home;
- Improve ability to predict potential outbreaks using Missouri's public health data.
"There are currently no limitations on social gatherings as long as necessary precautions are taken and six feet of distance can be maintained between individuals and/or families," Parson's statement said.
Parson's office said some businesses will have to limit occupancy numbers.
In KCMO, Lucas' office says more guidance is "forthcoming."
"We want to be as safe as possible, but at the same time it'd be nice to kind of, from business standpoint, give us some ideas so that we can project what we're going to do in the future," Clarke said.
