Governor Walz issues updated emergency regulations
To address the explosive growth of COVID-19 cases statewide, Governor Walz issued Emergency Order 20-96.
The Governor acknowledged operators of food businesses have stepped up to the challenge and have responded to the pandemic over the last several months. Operators have worked to make their businesses safer places to be. Because of their efforts, and additional protections provided in Executive Order 20-96, Minnesotans can continue to confidently support their local businesses, recognizing their importance to our community and the economy.
State guidance
Guidance on the updated regulations can be found in the Industry Guidance for Safely Reopening: Restaurants and Bars (PDF).
If a business serves food and beverages and offers recreational entertainment, the business must choose to follow one of the following set of guidelines (see highlights of both sets of guidelines below):
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Bars and restaurants: Serve food and beverages following the guidelines for on-site consumption of food and beverages
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Recreational entertainment venues: Food and beverage consumption must end at 10 p.m. The venue may stay open for their normal business hours.
Highlights of Executive Order 20-96:
Bars and restaurants
- Businesses must be closed to on-site consumption of food or beverages between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
- Take-out, delivery, drive-up, and other sales for offsite consumption may continue through regular business hours.
- Indoor occupant capacity is limited to no more than 50%, up to 150 people maximum.
- If outdoor seating is offered, the combined total occupancy of all indoor and outdoor spaces is limited to 150 people.
- Seating and service at bars and counters is no longer allowed.
- If a bar or restaurant only has counter service, then ordering at the counter is allowed. Counter service only business generally do not have wait staff. Examples may include breweries and fast casual businesses.
- Patrons must return to their tables after placing their order.
- In businesses that have only counter service, physical distancing and queuing methods must be used to control congestion in lines and service areas.
- All patrons must be seated at tables at all times. Exceptions include when patrons are being seated, using the restroom, and ordering at an establishment that does not offer table service.
- Bar games like pool, darts, arcade games, beanbags or other games that require participants to leave their seats are not permitted.
- “Lawful gambling” as defined in Minnesota Statutes 2019, 349.12, is allowed.
- Customers in queuing areas (for example, to purchase pull tabs) must maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet from other customers. Queuing areas must be marked to provide for physical distancing. Some examples are using floor markings, lane lines, and/or marking of adjacent areas where customers may be waiting for service.
Private events at bars and restaurants
A bar or restaurant offering an exclusive and physically separated space (such as a ballroom or other private room) for a private event, must follow the requirements for capacity, dancing, and other activities found in the Gathering Requirements for Celebrations and Significant Life Events (PDF).
The event must have an event-specific COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.
In general, this means that restaurants and bars providing venue space for private events must limit capacity in the space to 25% of normal occupancy, in addition to the following:
- Food or beverages may not be consumed on-site between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.
- Effective November 27, attendance at these private events must not exceed 50 people.
- Effective December 11, attendance at these private events must not exceed 25 people.
This guidance provides greater flexibility to these events. For example, under the Gathering Requirements for Celebrations and Significant Life Events, patrons are not required to remain seated at all times, provided that social distancing is maintained, capacity is decreased to protect the safety of workers and patrons, and other restrictions are implemented.
If a restaurant or bar hosts a private event, the combined total of the event attendees and other patrons of the restaurant and bar still must not exceed the maximum restaurant capacity as allowed in EO 20-96
Recreational entertainment venues: Guidelines for indoor and outdoor venues such as theaters, museums, bowling alleys, arcades, amusement parks, mini golf, racetracks, etc.
Even though food and beverage service must end at 10:00 p.m., the venue may stay open until their normal closing time.
- Example: a movie theater with a 9:30 p.m. showing must close their concession stand at 10:00 p.m., but patrons may finish watching their movie.
- Example: a bowling alley must close their kitchen and bar at 10:00 p.m., but customers may play past that time.
Businesses where games and food are both equally prominent as part of their business model need to decide to operate under the restaurant/bar guidance or the entertainment venue guidance. There are implications to capacity and operations depending on the model they choose.
Tents and fire safety
As you continue to adapt your business to operate in Minnesota's colder months, remember the critical importance fire safety plays in keeping customers safe and healthy.
Portable heating appliances such as space heaters and propane tanks aren't allowed inside any tented structure (including dining igloos) due to possible serious life safety issues such as gas leaks, off-gassing, carbon monoxide poisoning, explosions, and fires.
Any tented structure over 400 square feet must comply with additional requirements so that its safe operation can be verified. To learn more about your business' responsibilities and how the state fire code is enforced, please view our temporary structure permitting guidance.
Elevate Business Hennepin County
The Mpls Regional Chamber and Hennepin County are pleased to announce Elevate Business HC, a new public/private initiative offering pro bono services to businesses located in Hennepin County. Due to the COVID 19 pandemic and civil unrest, businesses have been greatly impacted and economic recovery is a priority. The goal of the program is to provide resources to help re-build, re-establish and re-ignite business.
Elevate Business HC provides expertise in three areas:
- Technical Assistance: One-on-one consultation with professional service providers to find solutions in a variety of areas including financing, human resources, technology, and many others
- Peer-to-Peer Roundtables: Reoccurring and facilitated small group discussions segmented by industry and areas of participant interest with a focus on sharing best practices and problem solving
- Topic-Driven Webinars: Industry and subject matter experts will discuss issues facing employers with a focus on workforce needs in remote environments during the COVID-19 pandemic
Visit www.elevatebusinesshc.com, to learn more and register your business.
B-TAP Professional Series
The City of Minneapolis has partnered with several organizations through the B-TAP Professional Series to provide additional support to businesses recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic and the civil unrest that occurred after the death of George Floyd.
Lake Street Council Digital Marketing Series
Lake Street Council is working with the local Minneapolis based Digital Marketing Advertising agency, FRWD@BAIN to develop a series of training sessions on various marketing topics. These free workshops are intended to help small business owners learn tools to market their business online and expand their reach during these turbulent times. Businesses that attend any workshop may also be eligible to receive additional one-on-one support from FRWD@Bain to help their business grow their digital marketing practices. Learn more
Minneapolis Regional Chamber Venue and Event Industry Support
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber, through the B-TAP Professional Series, will be providing both pro-bono technical assistance services and webinars designed for business of all sizes in the venue/event industry. Eligible businesses must be located in Minneapolis as identify one of the following: theater, performance venue space, event facilities, caterers, production companies, audio visual service providers, florists, event planners, designers, brewers or distillers to access these services.
Businesses have the opportunity to receive assistance with the following business impact issues: employee and human resource support and guidance, assistance with federal, state and local loan/grant forgiveness and administration, COVID-19 safety plan drafting and revision, advice on local, state and federal ordinances, lease negotiations, basic business legal assistance, insurance claim assistance, insurance review, contract negotiation consultation and review. Interested businesses should inquire about services at eventassist@davismeansbusiness.com
A four-part series focused on COVID-19 issues including employee and client safety, human resource guidance on health-related issues, as well as supports for both employees and employers with a focus on mental health and well-being. More information will be available about this series will be available in the next two weeks. For more information contact Christine Levens clevens@mplschamber.com
Legal Support Services
The City of Minneapolis has partnered with four legal firms through the B-TAP Professional Series to provide one-on-one legal support for businesses recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic and the civil unrest that occurred after the death of George Floyd. Feel free to reach out to a firm directly or contact us at btap@minneapolismn.gov for more information.
South Mpls Collective: BIPOC Small Business Grant (Whittier Alliance)
The South Minneapolis Collective is a coalition of neighborhood organizations and business associations who in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minnepolis Police put aside the geographical boundaries of our respective organizations to come together in the moment to ensure our larger communities have access to collective resources in their time of need.
The South Mpls Collective: BIPOC Small Business Grant is now available to help locally-owned, Black, Indigenous, and/or Person of Color-owned small businesses in the South Minneapolis area that have sustained physical damage as a result of the uprising following the killing of George Floyd in addition to COVID-19 pandemic hardships. Funding for this grant opportunity comes from the Minneapolis Foundation's OneMpls: REBUILD grant in addition to individual, small-dollar donations raised by members of the Collective. The maximum amount that can be requested by each applicant is $10,000. Businesses must be located in the Whittier, Lowry Hill East, Lyndale, or South Uptown (formerly CARAG) neighborhoods, see our website for more information regarding eligibility requirements and full application.
Application deadline is November 30th, feel free to reach out to business@whittieralliance.org for questions or assistance including language services.
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