Are Level Orange and 5-Star program enough to save Colorado restaurants?

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The improvement on the COVID-19 dial from red to orange has allowed many restaurants to resume offering indoor dining to their customers, and Tuesday's announcement of the first counties eligible for the state's 5-Star Certification Program may ultimately do the same for other eateries.

But Sonia Riggs, CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, said the developments still aren't enough because they only allow a 25% capacity limit.

"75% is really where the restaurant industry needs to be, to be able to survive medium-term," she said. "So this is a step in the right direction. It's a lifeline to some, certainly. But it's not what's going to ensure survival for this industry."

Riggs said a CRA survey six weeks ago found that 45% of restaurant owners said they'll consider closing permanently if they don't operate at 75% capacity within the next three months.

That sobering revelation carries possible long-term impacts.

"We're hearing a lot of experts estimate that it could take three to five years for this industry to fully recover (from the pandemic)," Riggs said. "So I don't think we're going to be out of the woods just yet, even when vaccines are widely available. And remember there's still long-term effects on loans that restaurants have had to take out."

She said the dial down to Level Orange and lower is better for restaurants and other affected businesses because the change affects an entire county, while the 5-Star program involves only those businesses that apply and qualify.

"The good thing about 5-Star is if you qualify and meet additional requirements, then you can operate at Level Yellow (the next lowest on the dial)," Riggs said. "But not every business can afford the expense of upgrading ventilation systems or adding outdoor seating that you'd need to do. And after you qualify, you have to wait for an inspection to make sure you're in compliance. That could take a month or longer, and every day a restaurant isn't at 75% is a day closer to going out of business."

She said that she hopes the state will make it easier for counties and restaurant owners to increase capacity limits; that more restaurants will add outdoor seating; and that the process of administering COVID vaccines can accelerate,

"Even with lower case numbers, we're going to be in this pandemic for a while longer," Riggs said. "We need to do whatever we can to keep restaurants in business."

Finally, she said that the struggle to stay in business will be harder for restaurant owners who didn't resume indoor dining this week because they feared another shutdown, or that they simply can't make the numbers work at 25% capacity.

"Level Orange and the 5-Star will help some restaurants but not all," she said. "It's not the perfect solution."