A local Reading restauranteur has plans to bring more dining options to the area he grew up in. 

An update to Pennsylvania’s rules regarding how employers pay tipped workers will be voted on by the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission during a meeting next month. 

Local restaurants are looking forward to robust business this weekend and Valentine’s Day on Monday to boost their profits after two years of shutdowns, slowdowns and staffing shortages due to COVID-19.

Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Relief Program (CHIRP) provided funding for 5,860 restaurants and hospitality businesses in 2021. 

The allowance of cocktails-to-go that was made to help bars and restaurants during the pandemic is one step closer to being permanent.

House Bill 1154 was passed by a vote of 187-14 on Tuesday, which would make the rule that allowed a temporary exception for the sale of drinks to go permanent after the pandemic is over.

Grants worth more than $50 million have been distributed by the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP,) and millions have gone to hotels, restaurants and bars in the Greater Lehigh Valley.

New guidance through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allows anyone fully vaccinated to forgo face coverings in public settings, which could prove difficult for small businesses currently enforcing mask mandates.

“There’s definitely been a lot of people asking when we’re bringing breakfast back,” said Cindy Ebert, manager of the Brass Rail restaurant in Allentown. “The answer is we can’t even staff lunch and dinner.”

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed by President Biden includes a number of federal programs that will funnel millions into Pennsylvania businesses but despite its expensive price, it doesn’t allot enough money to keep the state’s businesses impacted by COVID-19 open.