October 1, 2020
Q&A: Grants for new restaurants and increased seating capacity
Each week, we answer your questions about food and drink in Charlotte
The Workman’s Friend serves classic Irish pub fare, including a Shepherd’s Pie. Travis Mullis/UP
Q: Can I get food and drink from Workman’s Friend and bring those to a table on Thomas?
UP: This is a question in reference to Plaza Midwood’s new Thomas StrEATery, and the answer is yes, you can. You can bring food and drink from any restaurant to the seats — there’s even a delivery drop-off point if you want to order from somewhere outside of the neighborhood. The only caveat is that you must purchase alcohol in a sealed container — like a can of beer or full bottle of wine — and it must be consumed within the barriers of your seating area. You can also bring your own beer and wine.
Q: Can restaurants that opened in 2020 apply for the restaurant recovery grant yet?
UP: No. We reached out to the city about the reasoning behind this stipulation. The reason is mostly because there has to be verifiable paperwork showing financials. “The federal government requires CARES Act funds must provide evidence of alleviating COVID 19 impact. This date was set to demonstrate in a federal audit a business receiving CARES Act funds had been in operation for a period of time that revenues had the ability to be made and impact would be realized,” a representative for the city shared. Restaurants that opened in 2020 won’t have the federal filings required.
Q: I thought Phase 3 was supposed to increase seating capacity for restaurants. What happened?
UP: We’ve strayed from the initial three-phase approach a bit with the addition of some steps and tweaks in between phases. Cooper has been calling the reopening plan a “dimmer approach,” making smaller changes that give the state time to see whether reopening businesses is having an effect on the number of Covid-19 cases. The third phase will expire or be renewed with changes on October 23. At that point we could see increased capacity for restaurants but still a six-foot distance between tables. That won’t make much difference for most places’ over capacities. Read more about what Cooper’s announcement on Thursday means.
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