After being shut down since March due to the pandemic, Rick’s American Cafe announced on social media they will reopen their doors Thursday with limited capacity.
Complying with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks will be required for entry and guests will have their temperatures taken before being let inside, the post read. Tables will be spaced out to follow social distancing protocols. Rick’s is also requiring guests to save their place in line through the application LineLeap.
“WE’RE BACK TOMORROW!” a Wednesday post on Rick’s Instagram read. “Due to limited capacity and high demand, the only way to get in is to reserve your spot through @lineleaptickets SpotSaver feature on the LineLeap app!”
To book a reservation through the app, guests are able to select a 30-minute time slot in which they plan to arrive that night. Upon arrival, customers must show the doorman their pass on their phone to be let into the bar.
Rick’s recommends four to six people for each reservation with a maximum of eight people. A limited number of places are available for each 30-minute time slot. Guests with reservations are allowed to stay for an unlimited amount of time.
Rick’s did not immediately respond to The Michigan Daily’s request for comment.
LSA senior Margo Dickstein said she felt angry about Rick’s reopening. She said she does not understand how the bar will be able to accommodate guests in a safe manner and foresees Rick’s potentially becoming the source of a COVID-19 outbreak.
“It’s been kind of obvious in this semester that a lot of people simply don’t care that we’re in a pandemic, and they’ve been going out to parties,” Dickstein said. “But now it’s Ricks — it’s already always crowded and full of people. I just don’t understand how they’re allowed to be open.”
Dickstein turned 21 in April and has not yet had the chance to go to Rick’s.
“I would love to be able to go to Rick’s in a normal time, that would be really fun, it’s an experience I haven’t been able to have,” Dickstein said. “But I would never go there now because of public health reasons.”
Daily News Editor Barbara Collins can be reached at bcolli@umich.edu.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown challenges at all of us — including The Michigan Daily — but that hasn’t stopped our staff. We’re committed to reporting on the issues that matter most to the community where we live, learn and work. Your donations keep our journalism free and independent. You can support our work here.
For a weekly roundup of the best stories from The Michigan Daily, sign up for our newsletter here.