Manatee area restaurants welcome lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on their businesses
Manatee County restaurateurs welcomed the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on dining rooms and bars by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday, but were proceeding cautiously with their next steps.
“We will gradually increase to 100 percent seating occupancy. It is my understanding that the governor has lifted the masking requirements and social distancing in restaurants,” said John Horne, owner of four Anna Maria Oyster Bar Restaurants.
To reassure customers, however, the AMOB staff will continue to wear masks and follow stringent cleaning protocols, Horne said.
AMOB restaurants include The Pier at 200 Bridge St., Landside at 6906 14th St. W., Cortez at 6696 Cortez Road W., and Ellenton at 1525 51st Ave. E.
Ron Fuller, a partner in Excellence in Restaurants LLC with Steve Bishop, had a similar reaction.
“It looks like all restrictions have been lifted. We will be adjusting our seating capacity. The key is whether customers will feel comfortable,” Fuller said.
Excellence in Restaurants operates Bourbon & Bones, 8205 Natures Way; Riviera Dunes Dockside in Palmetto; Bridge Street Bistro in Bradenton Beach,;Island Time Bar & Grill in Bradenton Beach; and the Surf Shack Coastal Kitchen in Tampa.
The Phase 3 announcement came as wonderful news to Elaine Constantine, manager of Olympic Cafe, 6408 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. The restaurant has struggled to meet 50 percent capacity, and a full reopening is sure to boost revenue, she said.
“We will definitely choose to open all the way up. It’s hard times right now,” Constantine explained. “For small places like ours, people see 10 cars in the parking lot and think we’re at max capacity, even if that isn’t necessarily the case. We’ve been waiting for things to open up and get better.”
Not every restaurant is ready to make all of their tables and chairs available, though. Kevin Aksu, owner of D’s Breakfast and Burger, 423 10th Ave. W, Palmetto, said his customers have come to expect limited seating.
“I want to keep it at 50 percent because my customers feel more comfortable with that. Maybe I’ll revisit in a couple of weeks,” Aksu said.
Rick and Kelly Jessop, who operate the 64-seat Katie’s Cafe at 3130 53rd Ave. E., were still trying to sort out what DeSantis’ order means.
If the six-foot social distancing rule remains in effect, the change doesn’t mean much because the Jesops would be unable to move more tables into their small dining room.
“I couldn’t go to 100 percent because I couldn’t get any more people in here,” Rick Jesop said.
Still, he saw the governor’s order lifting restrictions as positive sign for restaurants that have struggled to stay open during the pandemic.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Manatee area restaurants welcome lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on their businesses."
