Missoula Restaurant Switches To Takeout-Only Due To COVID-19

Earlier this week, we got the news that Mustard Seed at the Southgate Mall would be temporarily closing after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. And, over the last few days, we've seen record-high COVID numbers for Missoula and for the state of Montana as a whole. So as you can imagine, it's a pretty difficult time to be in the restaurant industry right now.

Even with precautions in place, new cleaning procedures, required face masks, and reduced capacity, there's still an element of risk every time you go out to eat. But, people want to get out and support their favorite local businesses, especially now - if we don't, some of them may not survive past the pandemic.

Many restaurants that are open for dine-in are still doing takeout or delivery, which they got accustomed to doing when everything was shut down earlier in the year. And Kobe Seafood & Steakhouse in Missoula did just that - they reopened when everyone else did, but kept their takeout services going. But now, in a statement they've released on Facebook, they've announced that they're shutting down their dine-in services for the time being and will only provide takeout.

It looks like they're still planning to reopen (or, re-reopen, I guess) the actual restaurant sometime in the future, but with rising cases in Missoula they've decided its best to stick to take-out for now.

Have you been out to a restaurant since they've reopened? Do you think others will follow Kobe's example?