Local restaurant owners more confident in re-opening dining rooms

ALBANY, Ga. —  With the Stay at Home order being lifted for plenty of businesses, many of Albany’s restaurant owners are more confident in re-opening their dining rooms, though there will be changes moving forward.

In some restaurants cases, it means a complete change to how they operate.

Local restaurant owner and Albany Ward three Commissioner, B.J. Fletcher tells us, “Well, my changes are with the business I’m in made the forefront because I have a buffet. I heard the governor say ‘no more buffets’ ‘no more salad bars’. Now I called to clear up the salad bar incident, and what he meant was he wants no more self serving.”

Many of the local restaurants in Albany are making sure that if they are going to re-open that more changes are coming than just removing seats.

It also means that for any large groups coming in, regardless of what happens, they will still need to follow social distancing.

“My tables will be one, two, four or six. If i was to get a family of 12, which i do on Sundays. There’s gonna be six, six feet apart, and the other six,” says Fletcher

Other restaurants are opting to remain closed though.

In the case of Mellow Mushroom owner, Lisa Lewis, she’s keeping her restaurant closed to protect her customers and her employees.

Lisa says, “For all of us. For my customers, for my family, for my employees, who are my family as well. I just feel like this is the best thing for everybody involved.”

With changes set in place as more restaurants move towards re-opening their dining rooms, there’s a better sense of confidence among restaurant owners that a return to normalcy may not be far off.