Governor John Bel Edwards has announced the state will move to Phase 3 for the reopening of the economy and that should mean relaxed occupancy restrictions on restaurants. Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says they are expecting an increase from 50% to 75% capacity.
“It’s a real positive occurrence. It should help the operators to grow some revenue but equally important it is going to create some opportunities for jobs and more work hours,” said Harris.
Harris says the industry still faces hurdles in rebuilding the trust with patrons and workers that the dine-in atmosphere is a safe place to be.
“Our goal right now in operating is to have good hygiene, good sanitation, and really focus on building the guests’ confidence and we want to have a safe workplace for the people that work there,” said Harris.
Further details about what Phase Three will look like, such as the status of bars, will be provided during a press conference this afternoon. Harris says the association will continue to advocate on their behalf.
“It’s disappointing that we haven’t seen any movement on bar operations other than those that have qualified for restaurant conditional permits but we floated some ideas to the administration for them to consider and they didn’t tell us no, they just said not now,” said Harris.
Edwards will provide more details about Phase 3 at a 2 PM Friday press conference.
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