According to a restaurant database called Open Table, seated dining in Minneapolis is down 76 percent since 2019.
As of Monday, the database said dining rates were only down 67%, but it dropped another nine percent on Tuesday.
The data followed a positive tweet from Mayor Jacob Frey on Sunday, where he said, “First Friday with the new [vaccine/testing] policy is in the books [and] my phone has been flooded with pictures of full tables.”
First Friday with the new vax/testing policy is in the books & my phone has been flooded with pictures of full tables. Once again MPLS is leading the way through a trying time, showing we care about the health and safety of our neighbors while supporting the restaurants we love. pic.twitter.com/6ckoDdBbnI
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 22, 2022
Frey continued, “Let’s keep the momentum going. Get out tonight, show your card/test result, and raise a glass to keeping Minneapolis open.”
Also citing the data, Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen said, “The culmination of ignoring crime and political dogma in the name of public health … Our cities will not recover with Tim Walz and his party leading us.”
The culmination of ignoring crime and political dogma in the name of public health…
Our cities will not recover with Tim Walz and his party leading us. pic.twitter.com/rApbS3Ulkl
— Scott Jensen (@drscottjensen) January 26, 2022
Jensen was referring to Open Table’s graph explaining that the running seven-day average shows that overall dining rates are down since 2019.
Many attribute the decline to the COVID vaccine mandate in Minneapolis that took effect on January 19, where dining was down 62 percent, according to the database. The downward trend continued throughout the week following the mandate.
According to the data, Minneapolis is faring far worse than Washington D.C., Chicago, and Brooklyn.
Florida cities appear to hold the best spots on the list, with several of them including Naples, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami with a percentage of diners higher than in 2019.
The Minnesota Sun reported in the wake of the latest COVID vaccination mandate, some Twin Cities restaurants closed up indoor dining, like Rise Bagel Co. Others decided to take legal action against Frey and the city of Minneapolis.
The mandate is set to expire 40 days after it took effect on February 27 or at the end of the declared public health emergency. Frey implemented the mandate utilizing the emergency powers that began in March of 2020.
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jacob Frey” by Mayor’s Office. Background Photo “The Bulldog Restaurant – Uptown Minneapolis” by Tony Webster. CC BY 2.0.
