BUTTE - Many restaurants and bars around Butte were eager to reopen for dine-in customers Monday as some restrictions have been lifted since the coronavirus outbreak.
“We have done everything we possibly can to make sure that it’s safe,” said Metals Sports Bar and Grill General Manager Dave Andrews.
Customers returned to have lunch at Metals since dine-in was ended seven weeks ago.
“I just miss going out and seeing everybody just at the bars and everything like that. It’s good to have everything start to open back up,” said customer Connor McCarthy.
Employees and staff missed their customers too.
“When you don’t have the laughing and the smiles and the camaraderie within the different tables and things like that, it’s depressing,” said Andrews.
Several restaurants weathered the shutdown by doing only take-out and delivery orders.
“We can get by on the food sales, but we really need to get back to regular business in order to pay all the additional things besides rent and utilities, right now that’s what we’re covering,” said M&M owner Selina Pankovich.
One of the unique things about eating at the M&M is the social aspect, being able to belly up to the bar and watch them cook your food. Well, under phase one restrictions, you can’t do that now.
“How do you take a social environment like a bar and a restaurant and make it anti-social?” said Pankovich.
Andrews added, “You got to have some people in here, you know, it's just bodies in seats. That’s what pays the bills.”
