FORT SMITH, Ark. — While many restaurants are opening up dining rooms for the first time in weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, some businesses are choosing to stay closed a little while longer.
The dining room of Benson’s Grill is still empty on a day when other restaurants are now seating customers.
Don Tate, the owner is deliberately choosing to wait.
“I can’t imagine if someone comes into my restaurants and infects one of my people, how I will feel for putting them at risk," Tate said.
Tate says he supports the governor’s reopening plan.
“We’re incredibly grateful that the community has been so good to us and have come continue to visit with us but we are very anxious to get back to see our customers and get back to whatever normal is going to be," Tate said.
With space limitations and a 33% restriction guidelines, restaurants like Benson's can only seat about 11 people.
The new dining room of Let’s Eat in Alma is bigger but the owner has also chosen to keep it closed.
“I have a lot of families that come here that have 22 people and what am I going to say, sorry two people can’t come in, I can only seat 20," said Tara Way, the owner of Let's Eat.
Both restaurants are still offering services like pickup and delivery.
“We want to give our customers 100%. We do not want to give them the 33%," Way said.
The owners at both restaurants say loyal customers will continue to show their support and they can’t wait to fully reopen.
The owner of Benson's Grill says he's going to wait for phase 3 of the governor’s plan to reopen the dining room.
Meanwhile, the owner of Let’s Eat is targeting June 1st but that could change depending on what happens over the next two weeks.