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After weeks — and in some cases, months — of shutdowns, states across the country are allowing non-essential businesses to reopen in multi-phase plans. In Texas, restaurants can now reopen their dining rooms at 75 percent capacity, while diners in Alaska and New Hampshire must make reservations in advance of their meals. Some states, like Montana, have put reopening measures in place as they see cases of coronavirus flatten out; others, like Alabama, reopen even as daily case counts climb.
Every state has allowed restaurants to reopen for dine-in service of some kind, with varying degrees of social distancing measures in place for businesses that elect to reopen. These measures, usually described as components of a reopening phase, variously maintain that restaurants must set tables six feet apart, and follow guidelines to cap dining room capacities between 25 and 75 percent. (Bars, meanwhile, are set to reopen in later phases of many state plans, if their reopening has been announced at all.)
Varying guidelines across the country make for a patchwork of reopening measures from state to state and even county to county. (Some major cities might elect to enact separate opening guidelines.) We’ll be updating this list frequently to reflect state and city guidelines allowing restaurants to begin dining room and outdoor service.
States reopening for restaurant dining
| State | Capacity limit | What about bars? | Now open, effective as of: | Planned reopening date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Capacity limit | What about bars? | Now open, effective as of: | Planned reopening date |
| Alabama | Eight-person party limit, tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/11/2020 | |
| Alaska | 100 percent; reservations recommended but not required | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/22/2020 | |
| Arizona | Reduced occupany based on restaurant size; 10-person party limit | 6/29/2020; bars, previously allowed to reopen, are closing again after a spike in COVID-19 cases | 5/11/2020 | |
| Arkansas | 66 percent; 10-person party limit | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 6/15/2020 | |
| California | Reopening decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/13/2020-6/10/2020; Contra Costa County; Marin County; Napa County; Sacramento County; San Diego County; San Francisco County; San Mateo County; Santa Clara County; Santa Cruz County; Solano County; Los Angeles County | |
| Colorado | 50 percent occupacy or 50 diners, whichever comes first; tables must be six feet apart; eight-person party limit | 25 percent or 50 diners, whichever comes first | 5/27/2020 | |
| Connecticut | 50 percent; outdoor dining only; tables must be six feet apart | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 5/20/2020 | |
| D.C. | 50 percent; six-person party limit; tables outside must be six feet apart | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 5/29/2020 | |
| Delaware | 60 percent; reservation-only; tables must be eight feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 6/1/2020 | |
| Florida | 50 percent; tables outside must be six feet apart | As of 6/26/2020, bars must close, after spike in COVID-19 cases | 5/18/2020 | |
| Georgia | No capacity limit | 35 percent or 50 diners, whichever comes first | 4/27/2020 | |
| Hawai'i | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | ||
| Idaho | No strict limits, suggested measures include 50 percent capacity; six-person party limit; tables 10 feet apart | No strict limits, suggested measures include 50 percent capacity; six-person party limit; tables 10 feet apart | 5/16/2020 | 6/15/2020; nightclubs, previously allowed to reopen, are closing again after a spike in COVID-19 cases |
| Illinois | Outdoor dining only; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/29/2020; Chicago reopened for outdoor dining 6/3/2020 | 6/26/2020; dine-in service beginning at 25 percent; 10-person party limit; tables must be six feet apart |
| Indiana | 75 percent | 50 percent | 5/11/2020 | |
| Iowa | No strict capacity limits; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/1/2020 | |
| Kansas | 10-person party limit, if limit is met tables must be six feet apart | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 5/4/2020 | |
| Kentucky | 33 percent capacity; no capacity limit for outdoor dining; tables must be six feet apart; restaurants can increase to 50 percent capacity, one month after they first reopen | Bars remain closed to dine-in service until 6/29/2020 | 5/22/2020 | |
| Louisiana | 50 percent for indoor dining; tables must be 10 feet apart; no strict capacity on outdoor seating spaces, must follow social distancing measures | 25 percent capacity | 5/15/2020; New Orleans beginning 5/16/2020 | |
| Maine | Tables must be six feet apart; eight-person party limit | Bars opened for outdoor service | 6/1/2020 | |
| Maryland | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | 6/10/2020 | |
| Massachusetts | Tables must be six feet apart; six-person party limit | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 6/8/2020 | |
| Michigan | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/22/2020 | |
| Minnesota | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with six-foot distancing measures | 6/1/2020 | |
| Mississippi | 50 percent; six-person party limit | Bars reopen in accordance with distancing measures | 5/4/2020 | |
| Missouri | No strict capacity limits; tables spaced out in accordance with social distancing guidelines | Bars reopen in accordance with six-foot distancing measures | 5/4/2020 | |
| Montana | 75 percent | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/4/2020 | |
| Nebraska | No capacity limit | No capacity limit | 5/4/2020 | |
| Nevada | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopened | 5/9/2020 | |
| New Hampshire | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | 5/18/2020 | |
| New Jersey | No dine-in service; outdoor seating only; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 6/15/2020 | Indoor dining beginning 7/2/2020; 25 percent capacity |
| New Mexico | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 6/1/2020 | |
| New York | No dine-in service; outdoor seating only; tables must be six feet apart | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 6/4/2020 in Capital Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier, and Western New York; outdoor dining in New York City beginning 6/22/2020 | |
| North Carolina | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart | Bars remain closed to dine-in service | 5/22/2020 | |
| North Dakota | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | Reopenings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | 5/1/2020 | |
| Ohio | 10-person party limit; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/15/2020, outdoor dining only; dine-in service began 5/21/2020 | |
| Oklahoma | Tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/1/2020 | |
| Oregon | Tables must be six feet apart; 10-person party limit; food and drink service must end by midnight | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/15/2020 | |
| Pennsylvania | No dine-in service; outdoor seating only; openings decided on county-by-county basis, following social distancing measures | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 6/5/2020 | |
| Puerto Rico | 25 percent | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/26/2020 | |
| Rhode Island | 50 percent; 15-person party limit | Bars remain closed | 5/18/2020 | |
| South Carolina | Social distancing measures recommended but not enforced | Social distancing measures recommended but not enforced | 5/11/2020 | |
| South Dakota | Social distancing measures recommended but not enforced | Social distancing measures recommended but not enforced | Capacity limits were never enforced | |
| Tennessee | Tables must be six feet apart; 10-person party limit | Bars that do not offer sit-down service remain closed | 4/27/2020 | |
| Texas | 75 percent; capacity limits don't apply to outdoor seating | As of 6/26/2020, bars previously open at 50 percent capacity must close, after spike in COVID-19 cases | 5/1/2020; Indoor capacity increased to 75 percent on 6/12/2020; capacity limits do not apply to outdoor seating | 6/29/2020; restaurants revert to 50 percent capacity, after spike in COVID-19 cases |
| Utah | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart; 10-person party limit | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/1/2020 | |
| Vermont | 25 percent; tables must be six feet apart | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 6/8/2020 | |
| Virginia | 50 percent | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 6/5/2020 | |
| Washington | 50 percent; five-person party limit | Bars can reopen if they serve food and patrons are seated at tables | 5/12/2020; reopening applies to 34 of 39 counties | |
| West Virginia | 50 percent; tables must be six feet apart; six-person party limit | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/21/2020 | |
| Wisconsin | No statewide restrictions; limits and reopenings decided on county-by-county basis | Bar reopenings decided on county-by-county basis | 5/13/2020 | |
| Wyoming | Tables must be six feet apart; six-person party limit | Bars reopen in accordance with capacity limits and social distancing measures | 5/16/2020 |
