Michigan restaurants reopen after 75 days of closure due to pandemic

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - After 75 days of being closed due to the pandemic, restaurants in Michigan are open for indoor dining with limited capacity and curfew restrictions, but that's not stopping many diners.

Restaurants and bars across Michigan were closed in mid-November to try and slow the spread of COVID-19. More than two months later, with cases, hospitalizations, and daily deaths from the virus in decline, they're open again.

"I’ve been looking forward to this for months," said Sean Flatter. "I threatened everyone here that I was going to over-eat for the next few weeks."

Leonard Colton is the co-owner of Little Daddy’s Restaurant’s three locations. He said he's glad to see customers enjoying their food inside but admits he never understood the shutdown. 

"I really don’t believe in closure," he said. "I live part-time in Arizona - who has been open. I’ve been working out every day and go to restaurants all the time." 

Under the three-week-long state order, restaurants have a capacity limit of 25%, they must close at 10 p.m., keep tables 6 feet apart, and enhanced cleaning.

"Safety is all about distance relationship," Colton said. "In fact, you can smell the bleach."

Also allowed to reopen are concession stands at movie theaters, which will go a long way for movie theaters. 

"We typically lose about 62% of ticket sales to film studio so the concession stand is where we make money for our bottom line," said Phoenix Theaters VP of Operations Tearis Reid.