GREENWOOD, Ind. (WTHR) — Restaurants reopened their dining areas Monday across most of Indiana as Stage Two of Governor Holcomb’s “Back on Track” plan entered week two. Marion County is not included in the reopening.
Indianapolis restaurants have to wait at least another week. That prompted many people to cross the county line for a meal inside a restaurant.
Customers anxiously arrived as soon the doors opened at 11:00 a.m. Monday morning at Luciana's Mexican Restaurant, which sits just south of County Line Road on IN-135, just outside Marion County.
Angie Walters and Sarah Rumley, both from Indianapolis, were the first customers inside the restaurant. They typically get together about once a week for coffee or a meal out. But the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders shut down their get-togethers for almost two months.
"I just had a baby six weeks ago,” Rumley said. “So, between that and being stuck inside the house, we were excited to get out.”
Restaurants in Johnson County reopened with social distancing among customers, a limit of 50 percent crowd capacity, and enhanced precautions. Employees wore masks and gloves.
Paul and Ann Ward from Beech Grove sat in their car in the parking lot waiting for Luciana’s to open Monday morning.
"We got tired of eating in the car, carrying napkins and stuff like that with us all the time,” Paul said.
“I'm not so sure I was ready to come back, except that we saw that this place was doing a thorough cleaning,” Ann said.
Across the street at Four Seasons Family Restaurant, Robert and Nancy Kirby left their home in Indianapolis for a late dine-in breakfast in Greenwood.
"You miss the comradery of the people and stuff,” Robert said. “I'm at the point of breaking anyway because I get tired. We're people people."
At the intersection of County Line Road and Emerson Avenue, each quadrant has several restaurants. The dining rooms in Johnson County are now open. The ones in Marion County remain closed. Indianapolis restaurants offer carryout, delivery and drive-thru on the north side of County Line Road; versus a sit-down meal inside a restaurant on the south side.
"There's smarter people out there that make those decisions and you got to adhere to them,” said Kyle Hartman, who lives in Irvington.
Hartman is a regular at Ale Emporium at County Line and Emerson Avenue. He had not been inside the restaurant since March 16. More than half the tables have been removed from the restaurant and there are no stools at the bar.
“I did cross the border to come over here and kind of get out on the social life again,” Hartman said.
"We had regulars that were here right when we opened the doors, excited to come back,” said Leah Blankenship, Ale Emporium general manager. “But overall, I think that we're very happy with how things have turned out and all the customers seem to be safe and happy with the way that we're handling things."
Luciana's and Ale Emporium both have locations inside Indianapolis that plan to open their dining areas May 18.