Several Downtown Disney restaurants could reopen their dining rooms as early as this Sunday, when Orange County moves back into the red (substantial) tier of California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
Downtown Disney restaurants could expand to indoor and outdoor dining this weekend. MousePlanet file photo.
Under the guidelines for this tier, effective Sunday, restaurants may seat their indoor dining rooms at 25% of their indoor dining capacity.
Orange County was in the red tier from mid-September through late November, when California Governor Gavin Newsom placed the entire Southern California region into the most restrictive purple tier. Up until that time, the following locations had offered indoor and outdoor dining:
- Ballast Point
- Black Tap
- Naples Ristorante
- Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
- Tortilla Jo's
La Brea Bakery Cafe also offers table service, but its entire dining area is outdoors. Catal has not reopened its main dining room, although the Uva Bar is open.
Splitsville Luxury Lanes has not reopened since closing last March, but both the restaurant and and bowling alley could do so under state guidelines for family entertainment centers in red tier counties.
Counties must remain in the red tier for at least 21 days before being eligible to move down to the next tier, provided they meet the criteria for that less-restrictive tier for two consecutive weeks. Most of Orange County's COVID-19 metrics already meet the requirements of the orange tier, with only adjusted daily case rate per 100,000 still sitting in the red tier. When the county moves to the orange tier, restaurants could operate at 50% of indoor dining capacity.
All this comes as the Disneyland Resort prepares to reopen its two theme parks in late April.
Under last week's update to California's “Blueprint to a Safer Economy,” theme parks may open at a greatly reduced capacity as early as April 1, provided their home county is in the red (substantial) tier of the state's color-coded system. With this announcement, the Disneyland Resort now meets that criteria. However, during this week's annual meeting of shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the company is targeting a late April reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) March 9, 2021
If the parks reopen while Orange County remains in the red tier, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will be limited to 15% capacity. Advance reservations are required, and admission would be limited to California residents only. There would be no on-site ticket sales, and no sales to non-residents.
Ticket sales would be limited to small groups of 10 people or fewer, from no more than three households. In addition to masking and other social distancing measures required of all visitors, groups are not to mix with other groups.
Indoor attractions would be capped at 15% of capacity, with a limit to how long people could remain indoors. The state has yet to issue detailed guidelines for theme park operations, and we don't know what impact the rules might have on longer indoor rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and “it's a small world,” or theater-style attractions like Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Mickey's PhilharMagic. It's also unclear whether indoor performances at the Hyperion Theater or the Disney Junior Dance Party could reopen.
While restaurants in red tier counties are permitted to operate their dining rooms at 25% capacity, the guidelines for theme parks specifically state that there is no indoor dining in the red tier for theme park restaurants. It appears that indoor dining will be permitted at theme park restaurants when the home county enters the orange (moderate) tier.
If Orange County moves to the orange (moderate) tier by the time the parks reopen, park managers could increase attendance and indoor operation to 25% capacity. This would further increase to 35% if the county meets the standard to move into the yellow (minimal) tier. However, attendance will still be limited to in-state visitors as long as a travel advisory from the California Department of Public Health is still in effect.
