/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66903290/70762365_10101352647390618_2383174432249085952_o.0.jpg)
Massachusetts embarks on phase two of its reopening plan on Monday, June 8, Gov. Charlie Baker confirmed in a press conference today. That means that restaurants can begin to reopen for table service on Monday, but only outdoors for now, after only being able to operate for takeout and delivery since mid-March. Indoor dine-in service is slated to begin at a to-be-determined date later in phase two. (Each phase lasts three weeks — or more, if necessary, based on several points of coronavirus data — so “later in phase two” would possibly come around mid-to-late June.)
Phase two reopenings also include bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries, and beer gardens that provide food service. Those that don’t serve food will have to wait for phase four of the process, along with nightclubs, and phase four won’t begin until late July at the earliest. This is a change from an earlier version of the reopening plan, which put drinking establishments without food in phase three, not four.
Restaurants must follow a lengthy list of requirements and recommendations when they reopen — new cleaning protocols, distancing of tables, and lots more. Many are using ordering and payment technology to keep the experience as contact-free as possible. Here’s a closer look at the guidelines and regulations. (Read the full list on the state’s reopening website.)
The Baker-Polito administration worked with an advisory board to put together the specific guidelines for restaurants. The board included restaurateur Steve DiFillippo (Davio’s), restaurateur Ed Kane (Big Night Entertainment Group), and Bob Luz, the president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
Here’s a roundup of restaurants that intend to open their patios next week. Stay tuned for updates on a timeline for the return of indoor dining.
• COVID-19 Coverage on Eater [EBOS]
-
General Takeout and Delivery
8
- The Eater Boston Team’s 2020 Top Delivery and Takeout Standbys
- The Eater Boston Team’s 2019 Top Delivery and Takeout Standbys
- How to Have a Great Takeout Picnic in Boston
- Where to Order Delivery and Takeout Around Boston While Restaurants Can’t Allow Dine-In
- How to Eat at Eater 38 Restaurants That Are Still Open in Boston
- These Boston-Area Restaurants Are Delivering (Booze-Free) Cocktail Kits
- The Best Things the Eater Boston Team Ate and Drank (at Home) This Week
- A Guide to Takeout and Delivery Pop-Ups Around Boston
- Takeout and Delivery by Neighborhood (Stay Tuned for More) 10
- Takeout and Delivery by Dish/Theme (Stay Tuned for More) 10
-
Cooking and Learning at Home
6
- The Boston-Area Grocery Guide for Safe Shopping, Delivery Services, and More
- A Guide to Boston’s Best Restaurant Cookbooks
- A Roundup of Virtual Food Events, Updated Weekly
- Learn All About Booze Online From Boston-Area Experts
- Preorder the Eventide Cookbook, a Must-Read for Spring 2020
- Eater at Home: Basics for the Home Cook and Lots More
-
How to Support Local Restaurants and Workers Right Now
5
- How to Support Boston Restaurant Workers With Venmo Tips, Gift Card Purchases, and More
- You Can’t Eat in Restaurants Right Now, But You Can Buy Their Awesome Merch
- How to Support Boston’s Black-Owned Restaurants
- How to Help: A Guide to Local Organizations Fighting Food Insecurity
- Prepare for Chilly Outdoor Dining With Restaurant-Branded Hoodies, Hats, and Blankets
-
How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Industry Nationwide
7
- By the Numbers: COVID-19’s Devastating Effect on the Restaurant Industry
- Restaurants Are Fucked — Unless They Get a Bailout
- As Restaurants Go, So Goes Everything Else
- What Restaurants Need Right Now to Actually Survive
- Restaurant Suppliers Are Opening Up to the Public to Keep Their Businesses Alive
- It’s No Longer Responsible to Dine Out at Restaurants, but What About Delivery and Takeout?
- If the Stimulus Package Fails Independent Restaurants, It Fails America
-
Massachusetts Restaurant News
36
- 3/13/20: Over 60 Local Restaurants, a Food Hall, and a Casino Voluntarily Closed Amid Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
- 3/15/20: Nightly Curfew and Reduced Capacities Mandated for Boston Restaurants and Bars to Slow Coronavirus Spread
- 3/15/20: All MA Restaurants and Bars Will Shut Down for Three Weeks, Except for Takeout and Delivery
- 3/18/20: Some MA Restaurants Can Defer Meals Taxes Until June
- 3/19/20: NH Restaurants Can Temporarily Sell Beer and Wine With Takeout — But MA Restaurants Still Can’t
- 3/23/20: Restaurant Delivery and Takeout Can Continue Through MA Stay-at-Home Advisory
- 3/23/20: Cambridge Is Partnering With Local Restaurants to Help Feed Homeless People
- 3/27/20: Harvard Agrees to Compensate Furloughed Contract Dining and Catering Workers
- 3/30/20: Boston-Area Cities, Towns, and Restaurants Are Moving Away From Takeout Service
- 3/31/20: MA Restaurants Will Remain Closed Through May 4, Except for Takeout and Delivery
- 4/3/20: MA Bars and Restaurants Can Now Sell Beer and Wine With Takeout and Delivery Orders
- 4/13/20: MA Tightens Grocery Store Restrictions Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- 4/16/20: Boston Restaurants Can’t Sell Groceries, According to City Inspectors
- 4/28/20: MA Restaurant Closure (Except for Takeout and Delivery) Will Continue Through May 18
- 5/5/20: The Boston City Council Will Consider Temporary Caps on Delivery Commission Fees for Apps
- 5/5/20: Legal Sea Foods Is Suing Its Insurer for Denying Its Coronavirus Claim
- 5/6/20: Two New England Restaurateurs Have Been Charged With Defrauding the Paycheck Protection Plan
- 5/11/20: Rude Customers Are Forcing Food Business Owners to Reevaluate Their Plans
- 5/18/20: Mass. Restaurants Will Remain Closed for Dine-In Service Until at Least the Second Week of June
- 5/20/20: Restaurants Have Begun to Reopen, at Least for Outdoor Service, in Some New England States
- 5/26/20: South End Restaurant Temporarily Closes Due to Owner’s COVID-19 Diagnosis
- 5/26/20: The Boston Licensing Board Is Making It Easier for Restaurants to Create Outdoor Dining Spaces
- 5/29/20: Massachusetts Restaurants Could Begin to Reopen for Outdoor Dining as Soon as June 8
- 6/4/20: Here Are Some Boston-Area Restaurants Ready to Open Their Patios Next Week, If Allowed
- 6/15/20: Boston Restaurants Pivot to New Business Models as the Pandemic Continues
- 6/18/20: While Massachusetts Waits, the Rest of New England Reopens Dining Rooms
- 6/22/20: Ready or Not, Massachusetts Restarts Indoor Dining Today
- 6/23/20: Jamaica Mi Hungry Is Expanding During the Pandemic
- 7/2/20: The Massachusetts Senate Continues to Ignore the Restaurant Relief Act
- 7/7/20: Massachusetts Package Stores Support Restaurant Relief — But Not If It Threatens Package Stores
- 7/13/20: Restaurants Are Officially Open for Business in Boston, but Some Are Opting Out
- 7/21/20: Massachusetts Bars and Restaurants Can Finally Sell Cocktails to Go (for Now)
- 8/7/20: Charlie Baker Is Stepping up Enforcement of the Requirement That Restaurants Accompany Booze With Food
- 8/12/20: Boston Licensing Board to Reprimand Beer Gardens for Non-Compliance With Social Distance Regulations
- 9/2/20: Cambridge’s Commonwealth Will ‘Hibernate’ for the Duration of the Pandemic
- 9/22/20: Bintimani Is a Pillar in Boston’s West African Dining Scene. Now It’s Facing Eviction.
- How New Local Restaurants Are Making It Work (Stay Tuned for More) 3
-
The Wider Effects on Massachusetts Restaurants
15
- Massachusetts Could Require Insurance Companies to Cover Business Losses Caused by COVID-19
- Massachusetts Restaurant Owners Say They Can’t Get By on Takeout and Delivery Alone
- Massachusetts Restaurant Owners Need Relief Now, and They’re Asking for It
- Expedited Unemployment Processing Doesn’t Help Undocumented Food-Service Workers in Massachusetts
- Boston Restaurants Are Struggling to Stay Afloat During the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Boston’s Chinatown Needs Support
- Boston Food Trucks Are Struggling to Cope With the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Massachusetts Farmers Markets Will Be Different This Year
- Boston Restaurants Are Experimenting With Zoom and FaceTime to Recreate Dining Out Vibes
- Massachusetts Distillers Want to Deliver During the Pandemic
- Massachusetts Restaurants Probably Won’t Reopen by May 18 — and Probably Shouldn’t
- What Will Dining Out Look Like When Massachusetts Restaurants Reopen?
- Restaurants in New England’s Tourism Hot Spots Are Bracing for COVID-19’s Impact on Peak Season
- Organizers in Greater Boston Are Setting Up Community Fridges to Help Feed Their Neighbors
- A List of Boston Restaurants Still In Hibernation for the Winter
Sign up for the newsletter Eater Boston
Sign up for our newsletter.