KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Some Kalamazoo restaurants said they're excited to reopen at 50 percent capacity after Governor Whitmer's announcement on Tuesday.
It has been about a month since restaurants reopened indoor dining at 25 percent capacity. Now, they're getting ready to open up even more.
One restaurant said it makes it more worthwhile to be open with more people to serve.
Both Saugatuck Brewing Company and 600 Kitchen + Bar are excited to reopen at 50 percent capacity.
Saugatuck Brewing Company said due to their Kalamazoo location being so new, they said they feel like they haven't been able to get their momentum since opening and getting full licensure.
600 Kitchen + Bar said they've been able to get by even at 25 percent but are definitely looking forward to more capacity.
"We can add more tables back to the dining room. As you can see in the back, the middle is completely open. We would normally have another row of tables in there at 100 percent. It is going to allow more seating inside, and then hopefully if the weather is nice, we can have people sitting outside as well," said 600 Kitchen + Bar's Executive Chef Jason McClellan.
"I certainly think, you know, you're jumping up from 25 percent to 50 percent. That certainly will help us, you know, be able to get some more people in that smaller location, obviously, still, you know, following all the social distancing rules and everything like that," said Saugatuck Brewing Company's Creative Content Marketing Director Robert Antor.
For both locations, the restaurants said that safety is their number one priority. They continue to sanitize and enforce the mask mandates to keep both staff and patrons safe.
