Soon after regional stay-at-home orders were lifted by the state, Los Angeles County announced that restaurants could resume in-person outdoor dining operations as of Jan. 29. For restaurant owners and their staff, an industry devastated by the restrictions and closures, the news is nothing short of a lifeline. In a year marked by uncertainty, restaurateurs are exuberant as they prepare to reopen again–hopefully, for the last time.
“Frankly, especially for restaurants, it’s going to take years to dig out of this debt,” Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Johnson told the Courier. “I would encourage people, if you feel safe enough, to get out and go eat and support our local businesses who have been just truly hanging by a thread, if that. Get some fresh air, start thinking that life is going to be back to normal again. We’re starting to move in the right direction and the glass is definitely half full.”
