Today, May 29, 2020, the County of Los Angeles received a variance to move forward to reopen many businesses, which includes permitting dine-in eating at restaurants as soon as this evening. Here are five key issues restaurants operating in the the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles need to know:

1. Dine-in eating can resume on 5/29/20 as long as the restaurants comply with the protocols published by the county.

As of the time of the writing of this post, the county had not published the protocols.  We will update with links to the protocols as we learn of them.  At today’s L.A. County update, it was confirmed that restaurants who comply with the protocols (once they are published) [update: the L.A. County protocol for restaurants can be found here] may reopen as soon as tonight for dine-in services:

 

2. The County of LA published some guidelines for restaurants.

This afternoon the County published the following requirements for dine-in eating at restaurants:

In-person dining in restaurants

  • Physical distancing measures will be in place.
  • Employees and customers will be screened for symptoms, including cough and fever. Patrons feeling unwell should not eat at a restaurant.
  • Outdoor seating and curbside pickup are prioritized.
  • Reservations will be encouraged.
  • Customers will be asked to wait for their table in their cars or outside the restaurant to prevent crowds from gathering.
  • Diners must wear cloth face coverings when not eating.
  • Bar areas will be closed.
  • Occupancy capacity will be limited to 60% for the next three weeks.

3. Everyone must continue to follow physical distancing and infection control protocols and wear a cloth face covering when in contact with others not in your household.

4. City of Los Angeles publish guidelines for planning to reopen restaurants in the City of Los Angeles.

Mayor Garcetti is expected to discuss Los Angeles City’s requirements for restaurants operating within the city at his news conference at 5 p.m. today. These requirements could vary from the County’s requirements.  Our prior article on the City of Los Angeles’ reopening guidelines can be read here.

5. Useful links.

The County of Los Angeles website: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/covid19-news/hair-salons-barbershops-and-in-person-dining-to-reopen-safeguards/

The City of Los Angeles website:  https://corona-virus.la/Business

The City of Los Angeles announced the LA Al Fresco project to support outdoor dining.

Through LA Al Fresco, the City will offer streamlined, immediate approval for eligible restaurants to provide outdoor dining in the following areas:

  • Sidewalks
  • Private Parking Lots

More information on LA Al Fresco can be found here.

We will update this post as more information becomes available.