CADILLAC, Mich. — As hundreds of northern Michigan bars and restaurants prepare to reopen to dine-in customers for the first time in 2½ months, owners are grappling with guidelines governing everything from masks to menus.
Bars and restaurants can reopen at 50 percent capacity; there must be six feet between each group of patrons. Congregating at the bar until a table becomes available is out; customers will be asked to wait outside in their vehicles.
Floor staff must wear masks; there will be limited shared items such as menus and condiments. Self-serve salad bars and drink stations aren’t allowed.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday relaxed rules to allow businesses in the Upper Peninsula and 17 tourist-heavy counties in the northern Lower Peninsula to reopen under stringent guidelines.
Wexford County, which includes the city of Cadillac, is among them. It’s about 90 miles north of Grand Rapids.
The Blue Heron Café in Cadillac doesn’t have a bar, and indoor seating is limited. Owner Brian Williams figures he can have a handful of tables and booths open to customers, but certainly not by Friday, May 22.
“No, we’re going to shoot for Wednesday of next week,’’ he said. “We can’t just flip on a switch and be ready to reopen.’’
The Blue Heron is not alone.
Supply chain issues and getting workers back in time are presenting challenges to many bars and restaurants where reopening is an option.
Among those also waiting is The Cooks’ House in Traverse City. It will continue with take-out orders, but says in a Facebook post that it will remain closed to dine-in customers until June 16.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are going to wait and see how re-opening the Traverse City area goes,’’ the Facebook post says. “We want to put the safety and health of our staff first.’’
About 10 miles south of Petoskey, businesses overlooking Walloon Lake, including the popular Barrel Back Restaurant, are ready to reopen.
“We are excited, prepared and ready to go here at Hotel Walloon, Barrel Back and Walloon Lake Inn,’’ resort general manager Nathan Bean said in an email. “It is a perfect time to be re-opening Up North on a beautiful Memorial Day weekend on Walloon Lake.''
Bars and restaurants able to reopen for Memorial Day weekend have new directives for staff and patrons.
Customers will now see sneeze guards and partitions at cash registers and other areas where it is difficult to maintain a six-foot social distancing rule.
Waiting areas will be closed; customers will be asked to wait in their cars for a call when their table is ready. Signs have to be posted instructing customers to wear face coverings until they get to their table.
Industry officials say they expect to see restaurants expand outdoor seating areas. Williams says he would like to set up a few picnic tables outside his business.
In the meantime, he’s still working to reopen on May 27. The business opened in July of 1996. In addition to the café on North Mitchell Street, Williams, a Grand Rapids native, runs a bakery and a catering business with his wife.
Between 30 and 40 percent of patrons are from out-of-town, primarily Grand Rapids, he says.
Although Blue Heron Café caters to a breakfast and lunch crowd, Williams, 58, changed gears after the government-mandated shutdown and started offering to-go dinners for four. It’s been a hit.
He focuses on comfort food with something different every weekday. Entrees this week include seafood chowder, BBQ pulled pork and beef lasagna. Friends and supporters in Grand Rapids are making the trek to Cadillac to help out.
Margins for a small, family-owned restaurant are thin; Williams realizes that. Toss a pandemic into the mix, and profits are almost secondary.
“I’m not even chasing that margin this year,’’ he said. “I think a win is to stay in business.’’
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