Yesterday the governor announced that the “Stay Safer at Home” order is over and that restaurants and bars can open June 8 at 50 percent capacity. This was welcome news and has brought about several updates I need to share regarding our locations.
- On the Subway side, there were a number of changes in motion prior to restrictions being lifted. Last week, the Governor signed Executive Order 105 which temporarily suspended dine-in restrictions in Arenac, Gladwin, Iosco, Midland, and Saginaw Counties in an effort to aid emergency response for areas impacted by flooding. As a result, eight of our Subways in these counties were able to allow dine-in service effective yesterday.
Additionally, we’ve set opening dates for Units #455 (Clarkston) and #445 (Flint) for Wednesday, June 10 while #459 (Saginaw), #494 (Auburn Hills) and #472 (Burton Wal-Mart) will open Wednesday, June 17.
These next openings mean we will have only two Subways that are still closed: Great Lakes Crossing Outlet Mall in Auburn Hills and University of Michigan Flint. We will update everyone on the status of those locations as soon as we have news to share.
- The LumberJack restaurant in West Branch will open on Wednesday, June 10. The LumberJack has been closed since March 16, so having it open will be significant for that area, particularly with the adjacent Quality Inn already open. There are a number of new guidelines the restaurant must follow to open, but I have no doubt our team there will be up to the challenge.
- The Super 8 in West Branch is currently closed, but we anticipate it opening at some point in the next two weeks. Occupancy at the Quality Inn continues to be strong and we are continuing to monitor it to determine the best time to bring the neighboring Super 8 online.
These recent openings mean that all but two of our business units will be open and that the majority of our employees have returned – or soon will be returning – to work. While no one knows what the future holds in terms of a second wave, we will continue to do our part by following CDC and government guidelines. It has been a long and hard few months, and I can’t thank you all enough for your efforts. We look forward to safe and healthy days ahead.
Abby Moniz
President, Forward Corp.