restaurants at 75 percent capacity

For the larger-sized restaurants, the announcement allowing for increased capacity is good news.

Restaurants with smaller dining rooms see the increase a little differently.

For the past few months, restaurants have been kept at 50% capacity to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Of today the state is allowing restaurants to welcome in 75 percent of it's customers.

The decision comes as the states hospitalization and infection rate are steadily declining.

Until today... restaurants were only at 50 percent capacity.

In our top story tonight...news channel 2's brent kearney reports on if the extra 25 percent boost really makes a difference.

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None .

None considering the circumstances, it was a busy night at venturas in utica.

Good news for venturas manager nina leest.

But the drunken clams weren't the only special on the menu tonight.

Governor cuomo announcing restaurants can run at 75 percent capacity starting now.

Nina says: "we've been here 77 years so all of our customers are like family.

It's a wonderful feeling and its pure happiness."

"now restaurant owners say the increase in capacity is great and all but the social distancing between tables still presents a challenge."

"right now it doesn't make a huge difference you still need the social distancing rules those guidelines are still in place."

Restaurants need to have their tables spaced out 6 feet apart from one another.

Which takes up space in smaller dining rooms. rocky fiato owns the water front grills and is in the same boat as nina "you can see my dining room here, with that 6 foot, i'm not really getting that much."

Like many restaurants owners, rocky is calling on the state health department to bring the social distancing rule down to what he says is a much more manageable 3 feet.

Rocky says: "now they tell me in the schools there's 3 feet in the restaurant, i've been in business 45 years.

If they give me the 3 feet, i'll gain that other 25 percent.

But if they dont give me that 3 feet, i'm still at 50 percent."

But would the customers mind, being a little closer to that other table?

Katie says: "i suppose, i mean the 6 feet that was no problem.

We've been here and it seems to be very busy.

Even with the 6 feet."

But it seems we're on a path towards that desired sense of normalcy.

"last year at this time i remember walking out of here.

And their was no sound and it was eerie, their was no people on the thruway their was no people driving into the driveway, it was eerie.

I've never saw anything like that in my life and i've been doing this a long time, we're getting life bacl."

Brent kearney news channel 2 > as we first told you last night...the cdc has changed its guidelines for distance in the classroom