Businesses reopen after state declaration
By Jerry W. Kram
Many businesses that were closed under North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s executive order were allowed to reopen Friday with stringent operation limitations. Many area businesses took advantage to get back into operation as quickly as possible.
JC Java on the Main Street of New Town was overwhelmed by the amount of pent up demand for coffee drinks and sandwiches. The frontage road along Main Street was filled with hungry and thirsty customers who were willing to wait up to an hour for curbside service. On its second day open, the coffee shop switched to a plan allowing up to 10 customers in the store at a time with proper social distancing and reported that worked much better.
El Patron in Parshall is another area eatery that reopened Friday. The authentic Mexican restaurant is offering a new menu that adds chimichangas and other flavorful dishes to their popular favorites. The restaurant had been offering curbside service during the forced shutdown.
Ranchman’s 23, on North Dakota Highway 23 just north of Van Hook also offered curbside food service and off-sale during the governor’s closure, and reopened for service on Friday. The Sportsmans Bar also announced its reopening last Friday, emphasizing that all social distancing requirements would be enforced.
