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Breweries requested outdoor service exception in Walz's order

Restaurants, bars and breweries can serve outdoors at 50% capacity, 100 people max.

MINNEAPOLIS — Among Twin Cities breweries who've invested in outdoor winter accommodations, Governor Tim Walz's announcement was pretty much received like this:

"It was good. It wasn't great," said Dan Justesen of Utepils Brewing.

Utepils Brewing thought allowing outdoor but not indoor service might be a possibility at some point during the pandemic, so they planned for it.

"The outdoor space, we kind of anticipated what it was going to be like for the winter, we committed a lot of resources to what we're calling the winter garden," Justesen said.

Omni Brewing in Maple Grove did the same.

"We're excited to reopen in any capacity we can," said founder Zack Ward.

Ward and other brewery owners say the current closure of bars and restaurants has been harder on their bottom line than the initial one in the spring.

"There was a really strong push in the initial shutdown, like we've got to keep these businesses open. We were selling 2,000 crowlers a week. This shutdown we're selling 500," Ward said.

RELATED: Gov. Walz's new guidance to allow outdoor dining, allow elementary schools to opt for in-person learning

Bars, restaurants and breweries can now open, under Gov. Walz's order, for outdoor service at 50% capacity, 100 people max. It was a request made by the breweries.

"Just happy to be able to do something," Ward said.

But it doesn't help restaurants as much.

"If you're only going to need it for a month, I don't know if it's beneficial," said manager Lisa Van Horn of La Grolla Restaurant in St. Paul.

They invested in a tent earlier this year, but don't know if they will use it over the next few weeks.

"It's just a question of whether they want to sit out in a tent in winter," Van Horn said.

If he doesn't extend it again, Gov. Walz's current restrictions against indoor dining will expire January 11. 

In the meantime, some business owners hope there is an appetite for drinking outside.

"People are outside. They want to do something. They're tired of being trapped," Justesen said.

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