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The Coronavirus pandemic has forced many restaurants to close their doors due to finance issues. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced a new plan to slowly reopen the state economy during these times. Part of the plan is a strike force to strategically head up reopening the Texas economy.
Abbott appointed a San Antonio restaurant chain owner named Balous Miller to the strike force. Miller is working to get all restaurants back up and running. The National Restaurant Association estimates that over 688,000 Texas restaurant employees have been laid off since the COVID-19 crisis began. This estimate represents 61% of the total 1.2 million restaurant employees that work in Texas bars and diners.
“We’ve got to get our employees back to work and get people back, coming into our restaurants if we’re going to survive,” Miller said. “It hurts to have limited business like this. It’s not just Bill Millers. We’ve all got to get our businesses reopened and running and we’ve got to do it in a responsible manner.”
Miller has a storied experience operating restaurant chains since the 1960’s. His family has owned the Bill Miller Bar-B-Q chain for decades. This experience gives Miller the opportunity to create a reopening plan for all restaurant dining rooms across the state.
Miller’s reopening plan requires employees to don masks and gloves at all times. The tables and chairs in the dining rooms would be heavily disinfected between uses. Miller also says that restaurants would be required to have signage that says any individual with a fever or cough cannot enter the building. The plan also keeps six foot spacing between all dining tables and only 2 people allowed at each.
Miller made his plan off of feedback from the Texas Restaurant Association and other restaurant owners. He believes the reopening of eating establishments is important to save Texas restaurants and employees in this crisis.
“I think it’d mean a lot to get our people back working again,” Miller said. “People are ready to get back to work but in a safe manner. Still, we can’t be irresponsible.” Miller plans to pitch the plan to Abbott before his Monday press conference. He wants to put the plan in action by May 4th.
