More Connecticut COVID Rules Lifted But Some Restaurants Remain Cautious
Many restaurateurs in Connecticut are thrilled more COVID restrictions are being lifted, but many are also saying "not so fast."
We learn the latest round of COVID restrictions lifts capacity rules for several businesses and organizations. Catering facilities can now allow 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors, but restaurants are still required to close at 11 PM. Bars that only serve alcohol will remain closed.
I'm looking forward to restaurants opening their outdoor dining areas once the temperatures begin to warm up. One of Connecticut's very best outdoor dining spots is the Whitehorse Country Pub and Restaurant on Route 202 in New Preston.
P.J. Prunty, Executive Director of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce said it best when he told CT Insider about the hospitality industry;
We're heading in the right direction. What we want to see is for consumer confidence to increase and this (restriction lifting) helps do that.
Dan Mottola, owner of the Putnam House in Bethel said, 'We'd rather be safe than pack them in here by offering 10 percent discounts." Even though COVID restrictions are being loosened slowly but surely, as P.J Prunty put it, "We're not there yet."
March is 'Virtual Restaurant Month' in Danbury to encourage people to support local restaurants through social media by having patrons take pictures of their dining and takeout experiences and post them on their Facebook and Instagram feeds with the hashtag #EatLocalDanbury.