Bars and restaurants in the City of Milwaukee will be allowed to reopen at 2 p.m. Friday, mayor says

Bars and restaurants in the city of Milwaukee will be allowed to reopen Friday at 25% capacity for in-person service.

Outside dining areas will also be allowed to reopen.

Mayor Tom Barrett announced Thursday that the reduced-capacity reopening could start at 2 p.m. Friday. 

Milwaukee is the last city in the state to allow bars and restaurants to reopen.

City businesses have been closed for more than two months, since late March when the city issued a stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus pandemic. The reopening comes about two weeks after neighboring communities and suburbs allowed their restaurants and bars to reopen.

Restrictions will be loosened on a number of other businesses as well.

Changes will be made to youth summer programming, businesses can operate at 50% capacity with a maximum of 250 people, child care centers will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity, and public and private gatherings will be allowed at 25% capacity with a maximum of 250 people.

Barrett said the decision comes after discussions with Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik and other officials who've reviewed data on coronavirus cases from the last week.

"We are counting on business owners to make smart decisions," Barrett said.

Some bars wasted no time announcing reopening plans. Camp Bar Third Ward will open at 3 p.m. Friday. The Deer Camp bar will open at noon Saturday.

But not every restaurant and bar was pleased with the timing of the announcement.

Paul Zerkel, a chef and co-owner at Goodkind in the Bay View neighborhood, said the restaurant would not reopen Friday. The 24-hour notice was not enough time to prepare, nor is he convinced it's safe to reopen now, he added.

Zerkel said he felt blindsided by the announcement. 

"We were given no notification whatsoever," Zerkel said, adding that he would need two weeks to reopen properly. "I think it’s completely a political thing and has nothing to do with the safety of patrons."

"It's a kowtow to pressure from bars in the city," he added, alluding to a report that 50 bars planned to open Monday in protest if the city didn't produce a plan by this Friday for reopening.

Zerkel suggested that the reopening is a way to pull people away from the protests in Milwaukee this week, held after the death of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

Zerkel wasn't alone in that speculation.

"The fact that they have chosen this moment right now, (for) 24 hours from now, seems like a deliberate ploy to divert attention from the protests," said Dan Jacobs, co-owner of Dandan and Fauntleroy restaurants in the Historic Third Ward.

"Twenty-four hours is not enough time for us to safely reopen. It's got to be safe for our staff and customers," Jacobs said. "Believe me, man, I can’t wait for people to come back."

Jacobs said he wouldn't be able to seat people outside instead because the restaurants' patio permits haven't been issued yet.

Jacobs said he would refer to guidelines issued by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association when it comes to opening. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. also has issued guidelines to help restaurants and other businesses reopen more safely.

Some won't be ready Friday, but plan to reopen next week.

For Broken Bat Brewing, 135 E. Pittsburgh, 23 hours was not enough time to prepare. The brewery, which hasn't been open to the public at all since it moved from its previous location in March, is hoping to open June 11, said co-owner Tim Pauly.

Lakefront Brewery hopes to open from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 12. The brewery is still working on a system, but seating will be by reservation only. Patrons who want food or just beer won't be able to walk up to the bar to order, instead they'll order from the wait staff, said Russ Klisch, Lakefront founder and president.

The chalet bar outside on the Riverwalk won't be open to the general public. Those tables will also be available by reservation only. And masks are required to enter the brewery and any time patrons step away from the table. 

Bars and restaurants will also be allowed to apply for permits to offer additional dining on city sidewalks and some streets.

Commercial streets on the east side and other Milwaukee neighborhoods could close temporarily to create more outdoor dining space under a plan that won preliminary city approval Wednesday.

That would help restaurants, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, to expand outdoor space and serve more customers while still social distancing.

The pilot Active Streets for Businesses Program would suspend code and permit requirements to allow expedited city approval for restaurants to use streets and sidewalks for outdoor dining. It also would waive fees for those businesses.

The program, to run through Nov. 15, was recommended for approval on a 5-0 vote by the Common Council's Public Works Committee. It will have a council vote on June 16, with the Public Safety and Health Committee reviewing it on Thursday.

The proposal, similar to programs in other U.S. cities, was introduced by Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, whose district includes Bay View.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say dining with outdoor seating — with tables spaced at least 6 feet apart — is safer than indoor dining.

Also, informal surveys show people are more likely to patronize restaurants with outdoor dining.

Contact Mary Spicuzza at (414) 224-2324 or mary.spicuzza@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MSpicuzzaMJS.