Community Corner
St. Louis County Changes Restaurant, Banquet Curfew From 10 To 11 P.M.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page changed the county's curfew on restaurants and banquets from 10 to 11 p.m.
February 01, 2021
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page changed the county's curfew on restaurants and banquets from 10 to 11 p.m. Page provided an update on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the county and said effective 6 a.m. Monday, the curfew set for restaurants, bars and banquets will move from 10 to 11 p.m. "We believe that proper measures are in place in these businesses to allow them to stay open a bit longer," Page said. Page said while the spread of the virus is slowing down in the county, it's still not the time to make more adjustments to public health orders. He said more restrictions will be eased as the county continues to vaccine its residents. The decision was made after conversations with the county's restaurant advisory board to give these establishments more hours of business. Indoor dining returned to the county on Jan. 4 with a 25% capacity limit and the 10 p.m. curfew. Ande Pietoso, the Co-Owner of Napoli in Clayton, says he’s a part of the county’s restaurant advisory board. He believes the extra hour of business is crucial to increasing sales and the long-term success of his business.“This is great, this is going to make a big difference, you don’t get that last sale, that last cocktail or dessert and that reservation who might be running 15-20 minutes late and now can take our time and not have to rush them and give them the service we’re used to giving,” Pietoso said. However, Benjamin Brown, owner of Satchmo’s Bar & Grill in Chesterfield, said he was underwhelmed by the county executive’s announcement Sunday afternoon. Brown said the added hour won’t help his business and he wishes the curfew was extended until midnight or 1 a.m.
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“The biggest gamechanger would be if people knew they could come to my restaurant to watch a Blues game or other sporting event and be able to stay for the whole thing. A one-hour extension, I don’t see it doing that,” Brown said.
New reported coronavirus cases have been steadily decreasing in St. Louis County since mid November. So far, the county has seen a cumulative total of 83,508 cases and 1,686 COVID-19-related deaths. Capacity at bars and restaurants in St. Louis County is at 25%. County leaders said they don’t have a timetable for when that could get bumped up to 50 percent.
