El Paso County restaurants could have a chance to open indoor seating if the state signs off on an application from the county and a coalition of other groups proposing to run their own version of a five-star certification program that has allowed restaurants to open elsewhere. 

The five-star program allows restaurants in counties with high levels of coronavirus transmission to reopen at 25% capacity as long as local officials inspect them to ensure they are following new rules, such as placing tables farther apart and upgrading ventilation. Summit County reopened indoor dining at more than 130 restaurants in the first weekend of their program.

El Paso County, city of Colorado Springs and other local officials previously opposed the five-star certification program in a letter to Gov. Jared Polis last week, saying it would be too expensive for local governments and would not be profitable for businesses. 

In the letter, officials asked Polis to allow restaurants to reopen indoor dining at 25% with two households per table because it would be a more efficient solution and provide more immediate relief to businesses.  

The state rejected the proposal, so the county is going to participate in the state’s certification program because it is the only option for reopening businesses, said Kim Melchor city spokeswoman. 

“Implementing this program for a community our size will require a significant investment of time and resources by both local government and businesses, and will require businesses to balance the investment required to participate with the benefits of the program,” she said in an email. 

The county may be eligible to submit its application Jan. 1, according to a news release. Since the county is classified by the state as Level Red for its high level of COVID-19 transmission, the county must show a sustained decline of COVID-19 cases and a decline of the percentage of people testing positive. Also no more than 90% of ICU hospital beds must be in use.

Melchor said she could not say yet when restaurants will be able to apply to get certified and reopened. 

Cities and towns in El Paso County could either redeploy staff members or volunteers to inspect restaurants or hire a private company to do the inspections, said Ryan Parsell, county spokesman. 

However, in the county’s application to the state, local officials are asking the state to allow businesses to self-certify that they are following the rules and open, pending a follow-up inspection within 60 days. This option would allow businesses to reopen dining without waiting for an inspection and it would be more fair, the application said.

The coalition applying for the program includes the Colorado Springs, Fountain, Manitou Springs, Monument, local hospitals, law enforcement and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation. 

The governments involved in the program will all likely share in its costs, Parsell said. 

“Some municipalities may offer financial support while others may offer technology, staff, or subject-matter expertise. Our region is used to making the most with the resources we have and this endeavor will be no different,” he said. 

Restaurant owners in Colorado Springs have mixed feelings about the five-star program and its benefits. 

Joseph Campana, who owns several restaurants in Colorado Springs including Bonny and Read and The Rabbit Hole, both downtown, said the program’s requirement for tables to be spaced 10 feet apart was “impossible to do,” and its ventilation requirements were confusing.

“None of it makes sense, and restaurants can’t afford it,” he said. “I don’t know what they want us to do at this point. Either open us up, or shut us down. That’s the problem with the state: There’s no game plan that I can see.”

Mika Hernandez, who co-owns Señor Manuel in northeast Colorado Springs, said she would be interested in re-opening her restaurant under the program, but worried about the costs.

Running the restaurant at 25% capacity — or fewer than 50 people in a restaurant that can seat close to 200 outside of restrictions — “still requires a full staff,” she said. “Our payroll starts to impede us, and food costs are exorbitant.”

“At the end of the day, nothing is going to be 100%, but anything we can do to help keep our employees employed and stay in front of our customers” is positive, said J.W. Roth, owner of Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern, Boot Barn Hall at Bourbon Brothers, and Buttermilk, A Breakfast Eatery, all on Colorado Springs’ far north side.

“Are we going to make money on this? Absolutely not. But I say, most variances won’t make you money. They’ll just make you lose less money,” he said.

The Gazette’s Breeanna Jent contributed to this report.