MI Restaurant and Lodging Association Files For Injunctive Relief

The MRLA has filed for injunctive relief in Federal Court.

The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association has taken action against the recent shutdown orders had started today. The orders that were issued on November 15th and take effect today prohibit indoor dining at Michigan restaurants. This action was taken "as the last available option to prevent the outright devastation of restaurant operators and their hundreds of thousands of employees across the state."

We want to be clear that we made several good faith efforts in advance of the public release of the Order issued November 15 to reach a compromise with the MDHHS that would have supported the goal of minimizing risk while still allowing for the continued operation of dining rooms...said Justin Winslow, President and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association. 

To support their filing, the MRLA cited several pieces of information including:

• Michigan restaurants only account for 4.3% of COVID-19 outbreaks according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
• Research suggests that 40% of restaurants will close, at least temporarily, if dining rooms are closed.
• Approximately 25,000 restaurant employees will be laid off just before the holiday season due to the new restrictions.
• If the closure is prolonged and federal stimulus dollars are not made immediately available, upwards of 6,000 more restaurants will permanently close by spring. For the record, approximately 2,000 restaurants have already closed their doors permanently in Michigan in 2020.
• More details are available here. 

Only time will tell what will happen in the future. I definitely feel bad for all of the restaurant owners and employees that I know and I really hope they will all be able to get through this rough time.

Source: Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association