From WDIO-TV - January 1, 2020

Jason Vincent is pretty happy with the New Year's Eve numbers at The Boat Club. "We're only down 55% compared to last year. That's a lot of take out, so we're grateful for those who supported us." New Year's Day was going well at their other restaurant in Duluth, The Vanilla Bean.

Still, they depend on New Year's to help get them to Valentine's Day, another landmark holiday for the industry.

The ban on indoor dining in Minnesota goes through Sunday, January 10th. But Governor Tim Walz told WCCO Radio on Friday morning that he expects to have new guidance for the hospitality industry Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

"I do think the case positivity rate is incredibly encouraging. And the hospitalizations are stabilizing and going down," Walz said. 

Vincent hopes those numbers mean that they can reopen at 50% capacity. "It's kind of that sweet spot, where we can still operate and make an income but not overload the restaurant during a pandemic. We need to set ourselves up for a really good summer."

He also want as much lead time as possible. "You can't restart the engine in three days. You need to order food, and our distributors need to have time to get it to us. What's been disheartening to them is seeing tourists come to down, but not being able to serve them at their restaurants inside."

To see the original story and read related articles, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website.  https://www.wdio.com/coronavirus/walz-guidance-covid-19-hospitality-industry-restaurants/5965590/?ca...