Sacramento County Allows Restaurants To Reopen for Dine-in Customers Starting Friday
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — You can begin making reservations at Sacramento restaurants again. Dining-in at restaurants will resume starting Friday, according to the Sacramento County Public Health Department.
Some restaurants may open slower, while others plan to begin seating customers right away.
Ernesto Delgado owns Mayahuel in downtown Sacramento. He's had a burning appetite to reopen and it's finally being satisfied.
"It's exciting, it's nerve-racking, it's all of it you know," Delgado said.
Delgado was forced to lay-off nearly all of his 50 employees during the shutdown. He applied for the federal payroll protection program and received the money. He needs Mayahuel to re-open to use that money or he'll be forced to pay it back.
"You have to use 75 percent for payroll," Delgado said.
Some of his employees are choosing to stay away from the reopening either for health concerns or to maintain their unemployment benefits.
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"Their job will be here when they're ready," Delgado said.
At Kru in East Sacramento, owners have decided not to reopen yet. With a curbside business booming, they will take a slower approach opening their doors to customers. June 1st is their target date.
"While returning to business sounds great, we want to be as cautious and responsible as possible," Kru owner Kimio Bazett said.
Sacramento County Public Health Chief Doctor Peter Beilenson warns dine-in will be a different experience at first. Servers and cooks will be wearing masks, seats will be socially-distanced, and customers will be restricted to dining with only people from their household.
He is trusting restaurants and customers to follow the new rules.
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"Tables will be able to be nuclear families only, those families that have been staying in place, staying at home in place," Dr. Beilenson said.
Doctor Beilenson said the Sacramento County guidance for dine-in restaurant reopenings will be formally presented at noon Friday, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend.