Minnesota bars and restaurants to open at 50%

Groups must have fewer than six people. Dining services must end by 10 p.m.

Capitol on wednesday, minnesota governor tim walz announced the next steps for bars and restaurants.

Starting monday... they can reopen for indoor dining at 50% capacity.

Kimt news 3's madelyne watkins is checking in with a rochester restaurant to see how the owner is feeling about being able to have customers inside again.

She joins us live now.

Good morning, madelyne./// brooke and tyler.

I'm standing in the middle of an empty "brothers bar and grill" in rochester.

Yes, it is only 6:30... but the reason it's empty is of course because they've been shut down for indoor dining since november.

Like you said though... these seats will once again be full come monday.

Only half of them though.

"brothers bar and grill" has been here for over 30 years.

However, a new owner took over just a few weeks before the pandemic started... so that means they never really had the chance to reinvent themselves.

Kevin smoot tells me they used the first shut down to completely renovate the restaurant and make the changes they wanted.

This time though... it was different.

They followed all of the guidelines and he says it worked because there was no transmission there.

Smoot explains if they continue doing that... then he's hopeful this will be the last "you know, it made this last shut down hurt even more because we have done everything and it has worked.

If we can just get everyone to cooperate, this will be the end.

Then we'll go from 50% to 75% to fully open and we'll get passed this.

Another shut down would be horrible."

Just a friendly reminder for you... until monday when minnesotans can sit down inside of a restaurant again... outdoor dining is currently available