Thursday, 5/21

I found the number to be quite interesting.

According to a new poll from Warrior Insight Marketing, done for Great Lakes Wine & Spirits, only 12% of Michigan residents think the stay-at-home order for the past two months has been a bad thing. Despite the armed protests and all the vitriol on social media, only 1 in 8 state residents are angry at the order.

Heck, 17% of state residents thought the order didn't go far enough. With all the media coverage and posting of memes, you would've thought the numbers would've been skewed far differently. But nope.

One of the other numbers that I found very interesting in the survey is that only 15%--or one in seven state residents—would feel safe going to a bar when they open in the UP tonight. I can't say I'm surprised; nor can I say I'm surprised when those same respondents say they're three times more likely to say “yes” when asked if they'd go to a bar in a month once all the kinks are worked out.

Numbers can be fun, can't they?

I'll be very curious to see how tomorrow's openings go. I know there are several bars that will open their doors at 12:01 am tonight. I also know that there are many bars & restaurants that will be taking their time, either by not opening or by continuing to just serve take out & delivery. I just get the feeling that, in all, it'll be a little more anti-climactic that people think it'll be.

I think I'm in the camp that leans toward waiting to see how things shake out. As I mentioned Tuesday I have my list of places I want to go and things I want to eat, but I'll let the people who really need to go out go out and have their fun. I can wait a few days or a week, if only to see how everything shakes out, and to see who's decided to open and who's decided to hang back for a bit.

After all, if we've been waiting for two months now, what's another couple of days?

We'll see how things turn out. I'm kind of lucky, too, because I may have an indication of opening night activity when I walk to work tomorrow morning. You know how I haven't come across any piles of puke since the bars have been closed?

Well, if I see one tomorrow, I'll know at least one downtown bar garnered their share of that 15 percent.

(jim@wmqt.com)