Georgia restaurants get the okay to reopen, but for many it’s just too soon.
Michael Lennox, owner of Atlanta restaurants Ladybird, Golden Eagle and Muchacho, has been similarly busy with the organization he helped found to feed hospitality workers, ATL Family Meal. Since the governor’s announcement, he said, he’s gotten calls from furloughed employees fearful about the prospect of returning to work.
Lennox said he has been trying to navigate as best he can: He got loan money through the Paycheck Protection Program and is looking at opening a takeout and delivery service in coming weeks. But the thought of trying to go back to business as usual — even with the addition of masks and other safety measures — seemed far-fetched to him, for now. “Until we have an assessment about how everyone can provide a restaurant experience in a way that consistently provides for the safety of workers and customers, I don’t know that we have a clear pathway to even limited capacity,” he said.