TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Moonlite Drive In opened their gates after being closed for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Brent Barnhart, owner of the drive in, said they’re happy to be able to provide a safe space for families to come together.
“The crowds have been pretty solid. It’s not too busy. We’re not turning people away. There’s plenty of space here with 10 acres of land to social distance,” he said.
The theater is only allowing up to 50% capacity in line with Governor Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan.
Families must remain 6-12 feet away from other customers.
Drive in employees are required to wear face masks and bathrooms are being sanitized every 15 minutes.
“We’ve changed some of how we do things here. We used to have four windows that you can order at, now there’s two windows that you order at and two that you pick up at. The reason why we’re doing that is so that food handlers are not touching money and vice versa,” Barnhart said.
One customer said it felt good to finally be able to spend time with his family.
“This has been the first thing that we’ve been able to do. To go out and just enjoy anything,” said Andrew Johnson.
Barnhart said he’s hopeful for the future but right now he wants to provide a safe environment.
“You know obviously the big hope is that things will settle down eventually and we’ll get to a new kind of normal eventually. But you know for now we’re here to do what we do best with the new guidelines and help people have a good time and stay safe,” he said.
