Americans Are Starting to Venture Out to Dine at Restaurants

(Bloomberg) -- A handful of Americans are starting to say things they haven’t said for weeks: “Waiter, check please.”

As some states have begun to allow businesses to reopen following the coronavirus quarantine period, a small but growing number of Americans are now dining out at restaurants. That’s according to data from OpenTable, which says that bookings -- a number that’s been down 100% year-on-year almost every day since March 21 -- had eased to down 98% on Thursday.

OpenTable, which is owned by Booking Holdings Inc., tracks more than 54,000 restaurants on its reservation site. The data includes dine-in traffic through online and phone reservations as well as walk-in customers. The figures do not include deliveries or takeout orders.

These numbers are being driven by states that have moved to reopen their economies, including Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

While the improvement is small, it marks significant progress for an industry that’s estimated to have lost $80 billion in sales during the lockdown, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The quickest recovery has been in Texas and Oklahoma. Both states saw restaurant foot traffic down 87% year-on-year May 7 from the same day in 2019.

In Texas, the state has mandated that nonessential businesses, including restaurants, reduce their occupancy to 25%, to maintain some social distancing. Oklahoma started reopening its economy on April 24 and from May 1 allowed restaurants to reopen so long as they can provide space between diners.

Florida began a phased reopening May 4, also with restaurants operating at one-quarter capacity. On Thursday, the state’s restaurant visits were down 91% year-over-year.

In addition to individual state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the Food and Drug Administration says restaurants should frequently disinfect commonly touched surfaces like tables, chairs and door knobs.

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