Dallas Restaurant Patios Can Reopen At Full Capacity

Yesterday, Texas governor Greg Abbott clarified his recent executive order allowing restaurants to reopen their dining rooms at limited capacity, and outdoor patios aren’t included in those restrictions.

As such, restaurant patios, courtyards, and other outdoor dining spaces in Dallas and across the state can now open at full capacity, as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. According to Eater Austin, restaurants are required to limit parties to six or fewer people and space all tables at least six feet apart.

It’s likely that DFW patios will fill up quickly, too. Even before Abbott’s clarification, diners packed onto patios in Colleyville after the suburb’s mayor allowed restaurants to reopen their outdoor dining spaces in defiance of the statewide order closing dining rooms that expired on April 30.

Abbott’s newest update doesn’t address bars, but he did say in a press conference that his administration is currently seeking feedback from bar owners on what a reopening would look like and how Texas bars would be able to implement guidelines intended to stem the spread of coronavirus.

• Texas Restaurant Patios Aren’t Included in That 25 Percent Capacity Limit [EATX]
• Colleyville Plans to Defy Governor’s Order by Allowing Restaurants to Reopen Their Patios [EDFW]