The move could turn a bar into a restaurant and reopen to the public. Restaurants with bars are allowed, as long as 51% or more of their sales come from food.
The new rule eliminates a commercial kitchen requirement for the company. It also enables a company to sell packaged items and count food sales in their percentage.
The Marquis II at West University Place received its certificate on Thursday. Owner Al Jara said they plan to reopen Monday with safety as their number one priority.
“We are not a bar anymore, we are a restaurant now,” Jara said. “Our sales should be 51% food. If you are a small business, you need to learn how to turn around, especially in 2020. This is a pivot for us. It’s something we think we can do responsibly. . “
Meanwhile, owner Alba Huerta at the Julep cocktail bar along Washington Avenue in Houston is doubting the new rules.
She said she had already seen mixed messages and changing demands throughout the pandemic. She said leaders need to come up with clear standards if they want small businesses to pass this ordeal. Huerta said she feels they can safely reopen the bar.
“I do. I felt like I had safely reopened the bar the first time we were allowed to reopen,” Huerta said. “I feel like we have those standards.”
However, Mayor Sylvester Turner feels that this may not be the right time for the move.
“While I recognize that all companies want to open up and return to normal operations, these are not normal times,” he said in a statement issued Thursday. “It took months to get our positive rate back below 10% and it really needs to be at 5% or lower and stay there for 14 consecutive days before I would lift restrictions on beams. Otherwise we will never be able to manage this virus successfully and everyone will pay the price. What is proposed by TABC and beams will not work to contain the virus. “
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