Restaurants and Shops open in Waikiki Open: Not really !

Effective today the city will allow restaurants and other foodservice businesses that abut city property to temporarily set up outdoor dining in an effort to assist eateries that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today marks ten weeks since the state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started for all passengers arriving in Hawaii from out of state. Yesterday, 1,394 people arrived in Hawaii. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawaii daily, including residents and visitors.

Restaurants have been prohibited from indoor dining since the mayor’s COVID-19 Emergency Proclamation in mid-March, but are being allowed to resume service today. Because social distancing requirements will restrict the number of diners allowed in an eatery, the city felt that giving owners the opportunity to expand outside of the restaurant will help to bring in more customers.

Today Waikiki remained a ghost town with most shops and restaurants closed. At the International Marketplace, a security guard showed eTurboNews a large list of Restaurants allowed to open, but except for one, every restaurant remained closed. Almost all the shops in this famous shopping center also remain closed.

The famous and usually always busy Cheesecake Factory won’t open until the 18th of June. A manager told Hawaii News Online the corporate headquarter is not ready to proceed with the reopening of this giant restaurant yet.

No permit is required for restaurants to offer sidewalk dining, but owners must complete and file a registration form. Businesses must comply with their Department of Health Food Establishment permit. Liquor sales may be allowed under a business’ existing liquor license, but sales will not be allowed on pedestrian malls, such as Fort Street Mall, and in parks and playgrounds. The Honolulu Liquor Commission must approve the sale of alcohol in the expanded outdoor dining area.

In general, outdoor dining will be allowed on city sidewalks, as well as properties that abut city pedestrian malls and parks.