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SALT LAKE CITY – With the announcement that Salt Lake and Davis counties move from high to moderate transmission level guidelines, businesses in both counties are celebrating the return to full capacity.
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“Honestly, I feel so hopeful for the first time in a year,” said Katie Rae Curtis, manager of Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar, based in Farmington. “We’ve seen little progress, but I feel excited. I get chills talking about it.”
Under the new guidelines Restaurants in Salt Lake and Davis counties can now operate at full capacity, with six feet of distance and masks still needed in waiting areas and when customers get up from their tables.
“Moderate is a huge step in the right direction to get the restaurant industry on the road to recovery,” said Melva Sine, president and CEO of the Utah Restaurant Association.
For Curtis, full capacity means increased revenue, but also the ability to increase staffing.
“Currently we need to limit our staff to a certain number of shifts per week,” she said. “And with full capacity, we’ll be able to come up with more shifts. Which in turn is getting more money in the pocket of the community to go out and support local restaurants or any local business. “
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The new guidelines also lift restrictions on event gatherings, meaning spaces like the Hale Center Theater in Sandy can reach full capacity as well.
“It’s obviously a huge deal financially, it helps us where it’s been difficult to work indoors for a while,” said Quinn Dietlein, executive director of the Hale Center Theater. “The other side is just the joy factor for the actors and the clients. It’s a two-way street.”
After running at 25% capacity for months, Dietlein was able to share the good news with some of the cast and crew in the theater during a rehearsal on Wednesday night.
“There have been twenty minutes of mirth and muffled glee throughout the group. It’s a really exciting time for us,” he said.
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Despite the increase in capacity, both companies said health security was still a major concern.
“Our standards inside our restaurant will not change,” added Curtis. “When it comes to what our staff are supposed to do for cleanliness, health standards are not going to change.”
“We have a lot of procedures in place, all of those things are still in place,” Dietlein said. “The biggest difference is that we can be side by side now as long as everyone is wearing masks.”
Dietlein and Curtis said switching to moderate-level guidelines felt like a light at the end of a year-long tunnel.
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