Restrictions On St. Louis County Restaurants Could Be Eased By Next Month

CBS St. Louis

January 12, 2021

Restrictions on restaurants in St. Louis County could be eased as soon as next month if COVID-19 cases remain steady. The current restrictions, which took effect January 4, force restaurants to close at 10 p.m. and restricts restaurants to 25 percent capacity. Mark Hinkle, owner of Olive and Oak in Webster Groves, said the capacity restriction is not what is having the biggest impact on his business, it's the curfew. “Just because it turns 10 p.m. a full-service restaurant full of guests dining, they don’t rip their masks off and start doing tequila shots and dancing on tables, it’s just not realistic," said Hinkle. Hinkle said his staff is having to stop taking reservations as early as 7 p.m. sometimes to avoid rushing guests through their meals. “Allowing our guests that are in the restaurant to continue eating and finish their meal, we’re confident we can do that safely and this 10 p.m. is not doing anything to make it safer," said Hinkle. He sent an email to the county recommending stopping alcohol service versus forcing guests to exit the property by 10 pm.

“They are aware that we would like to push the boundaries a little bit on the 10 p.m. curfew and so the discussions are being had," said Bernadette Faasen, owner of Cobalt Smoke & Sea. Faasen also serves on the restaurant advisory board for the county. “Initially they were talking 9:00 pm and you know, some of the restaurants, we all asked 10," said Faasen. Faasen said the advisory board is also pushing to increase capacity from 25 to 50 percent by Valentine's Day. Hinkle doubts he could even fill Olive and Oak to 35 percent capacity and still social distance, so he would rather get rid of that restriction altogether. "Just do social distancing and regardless of where you are what your set up keeps people spread out," said Hinkle. Faasen said the county agreed to reevaluate the situation at the end of January and decide at that point whether to increase capacity by Valentine's Day. News 4 reached out to St. Louis County Executive Sam Page's office and the St. Louis County Health Department. A spokesperson for Page said in part, "The health department and the restaurant advisory group continue to talk and I'm sure the curfew will continue being discussed."

The health department said no comment.