A refresher on what you can and can’t do at a Pierce County restaurant or bar in Phase 2

Pierce County restaurants and bars, along with those in Whitman and Cowlitz counties, must return to Phase 2 restrictions Friday, which include lower capacity, fewer people per table from limited households and an earlier alcohol cutoff time.

The state’s Monday evaluation confirmed what Pierce County leaders in particular feared: regressing to a more restrictive phase of the Roadmap to Recovery just as the spring beckoned a return to semi-normalcy.

As the second-most populous county, Pierce has failed both metrics for hospitalization and case rates, Gov. Jay Inslee and the Department of Health announced Monday afternoon.

Industry leaders had attempted to stave off the Phase 2 possibility over the weekend, with more than 65 trade groups and chambers of commerce sending Inslee a letter urging him to stall the evaluation until May 3. Neither that effort — nor that of Pierce County officials and Tacoma mayor Victoria Woodards, in a tussle with the state over vaccine allocations and distribution — appears to have swayed the decision makers.

A blow to restaurants, bars and taprooms, the jump back to Phase 2 decreases capacity to 25 percent from Phase 3’s 50 percent and requires the public to pay more attention to whom they’re with and when.

In a nod to an earlier consolation prize, the governor’s office updated the open air seating guidance, which allows businesses to seat up to 50 percent capacity with open windows and, in one scenario, carbon dioxide monitoring. Outdoor seating also allows for half-capacity in both Phase 2 and 3.

At Beer Star in Tacoma, the taproom invested mightily in the outdoor option, effectively doubling it by upgrading its existing side patio and replacing a handful of spaces in the parking lot with a permanent front patio, now tented with a half-dozen picnic tables.

“We’ve never been more thankful to have a patio,” said assistant manager Nick St-Pierre. The company’s Seattle taproom, in King County, was spared.

Restaurant workers became eligible for the vaccine March 31, after a coalition of workers protested their exclusion from other food industry settings like manufacturing and processing. All Washington adults will be eligible starting this Thursday.

In a statement, Washington Hospitality Association president Anthony Anton, described the setback as “heartbreaking” for businesses and workers, some of whom were recently hired. He added that diners can easily seek looser rules in neighboring counties.

The state will evaluate every county again May 3. Phase 2 begins Friday, April 16 in Pierce, Whitman and Cowlitz counties.

WA Phase 2 vs. Phase 3 restaurant rules

Table size: Phase 2 allows for 6 people per table and only two households per party.

Phase 3 ended the household restriction, with 10 people permitted per table.

Indoor dining: Restaurants and bars can seat up to 25 percent of their capacity, compared to 50 percent in Phase 2. An exception is made for open air dining setups.

Open air seating: Businesses can seat guests indoors at 50 percent capacity in Phase 2 if they follow the state’s open air seating guidelines.

In light of a rollback for certain counties to Phase 2, the governor’s office updated guidance issued in January, when bars and restaurants statewide were prohibited from seating guests indoors. Originally, one scenario — where a business had only one wall with at least two windows — required a carbon dioxide monitor to ensure proper airflow and only 25 percent capacity; now, open windows mean 50 percent capacity is permitted.

Alcohol service: The Phase 2 alcohol cutoff time is 11 p.m., one hour earlier than Phase 3.

Food service can run past that time if desired, though most businesses have chosen to close when alcohol service must end.

Bar seating: Still no.

Games & entertainment: Bar games like shuffleboard and pool are permitted in Phase 2, but under the same rules that apply to parties and table size. Staff should sanitize equipment between use. Live music can happen, too, with 20 feet between the performer and the audience.

In Phase 3, that distance shrinks slightly and, obviously, party rules loosen.

Masks: No changes for any public setting. At restaurants, you must wear a mask when not actively eating or drinking, regardless of your vaccination status or table location, indoors or outdoors.

This story was originally published April 12, 2021 at 2:23 PM.