Moving into Phase 3 in Illinois, restaurants and bars were able to open for outdoor seating today, but still follow guidelines in place and maintain social distancing. Sarah Walters, owner of Market Alley Wines, shares their plan in place to ensure the safety of customers and employees:
“You can sit at the tables and we can wait on you if you know what you want, but if you are not sure, you are welcomed to come into the wine shop. There are x’s starting west of our building on Main Street. You will see them clearly marked with blue x’s and so we just ask everyone to observe that. When they come into the wine shop, they do need to have a mask on while they are in the wine shop purchasing their beverages or coming in to use the restroom. When they are outside, the mask is optional,” Walters says.
The law currently states groups of six or less must be maintained to abide social distancing precautions. The tables of four set up in Market Alley must remain where they are and the city has said people can bring their own lawn chairs.