Lincoln bars, eateries prepare to reopen as restrictions ease

As Gov. Steve Bullock's COVID-19 related stay-home directives begin to be lifted, many, but not all, Lincoln area businesses are ready to reopen their doors.

Several restaurants, including the Montanan, Wheel Inn and Lincoln Pit Stop, have continued to provide curbside pickup meals during the closure.

Laurie Richards, from the Wheel Inn, said, "It's been going better than expected. We've had so much support from not only the locals, but our weekend people that have cabins here."

Other restaurants and bars, like the Wilderness and Bushwackers, kept their doors closed during the directives and focused on building maintenance and cleaning.

"Essentially, we've been closed entirely the whole time," Kelly Reisbeck from the Wilderness said. "Some of the other places in town are doing carry out and food items. I don't think it's profitable."

Under phase one of the governor's reopening approach, restaurants, bars and casinos can reopen May 4 "under strict physical distancing and reduced capacity protocols." Due to these health and safety measures, several business owners said they'd need to rearrange seating to ensure a minimum of six feet distance between tables and to keep capacity at 50 percent or lower. Other measures include keeping customers away from the bars and providing tableside service. These businesses will also all be required to close by 11:30 p.m.

While many of Lincoln's restaurants and bars plan to reopen their doors on May 4, Jill Frisbee said the Pit Stop will likely continue to only offer curbside pickup at first.

"I'm leaning toward just continuing what I'm doing for now and not having people inside. I don't know that we're all ready for all that yet. And this is working for now," Frisbee said. "For the bars, it affects their business a lot when they're not open. We do so much to-go normally, that it hasn't been as big of a deal for us."

Frisbee said part of her decision rests with her little sister, who has been staying with her and has a respiratory condition that puts her at risk from the virus, and part of it is due to the increased sanitization and distancing requirements

"I think I'm just going to watch for a couple of weeks and see how it goes," she said.

Other businesses, such as the Three Bears Motel, hope to see business pick up as the restaurants and bars reopen.

"Since Lincoln has great restaurants, we get guests just because they wanted to have a great meal," Bob and Pattie Weatherston said in an email.

Most business owners expect the reopening to go slowly. "We are expecting to be slower than the previous two years due to the fact that a lot of people have been unemployed, so they don't have the money to spend to travel," the Weatherstons wrote.

Richards expressed similar concerns. "I think this is going to be such a trickle effect in not only this year, I think in years to come. I think it's going to be really hard. There are going to be some people that had travel plans that have canceled. That's what we survive off, our tourism," she said. "Our locals also, but summer is our time where we really can sock away really what is needed to make it through the winter around here, because winter can be really tough sometimes."

Dan Lerum, from Bushwackers, hopes to see the community pulling together to support each other as businesses reopen. "As businesses, we need to work together for the town, not just the individual," he said.

Lerum said when restaurants were first closing, they donated a lot of their food to other businesses.

Frisbee shares that attitude. "The businesses are actually communicating with each other and trading things," shee said. "I've borrowed stuff from Doug and Laurie and they're borrowed things from me. We've talked to the Montanan about what things are working. I hope this brings people more together."