Which states are letting restaurants open for dine-in service?

Restaurants in some 38 states are getting ready to open their doors to the public following two months of sheltering at home – and eating in -- due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Guidelines for allowing dine-in service at restaurants vary by state, with most requiring at least 6 feet of space between tables and limiting the number of customers allowed in a dining party table.

States have allowed restaurants to provide takeout and delivery service, but now a majority of the country will see restaurants open their dining rooms for the first time since March in most states. Georgia was the first state to reopen restaurant dining rooms. Other states, such as Florida, Texas, Missouri, Montana and Nebraska have begun to allow dine-in service or will soon.

Several states are still allowing only takeout and delivery service.

The restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard during the shutdown, with more than 8 million restaurant employees having been laid off or furloughed, and the industry losing $80 billion in sales by the end of April, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Here is a look at the status of restaurants in all 50 states from the Restaurant Law Center.

Note: Some states allow counties to make decisions on reopening restaurants. Most states have a list of sanitation requirements that must be met before restaurants can open.

Cox Media Group