Kris Manning and Daniel Vaughn inside Smokey Joe's Bar-B-Que in Dallas, where masks will still be required for patrons. Daniel Vaughn Restaurants have been hit hard by the pandemic. For almost a full year, owners have dealt with loss of revenue, mounting fees from third-party delivery companies, and little in the way of financial relief. Restaurant workers have also become the mask police for their customers, who have been required to wear face coverings since Governor Abbott implemented a statewide mask mandate last July. The lack of consequences for going maskless meant the mandate didn’t have any real teeth; still, restaurant owners who felt it was important to protect their staff and customers by requiring masks could at least point any naysayers to the policy. Starting next Wednesday, that will no longer be the case. Abbott announced in a press conference on Tuesday that he will rescind the mask mandate and allow all businesses to open to 100 percent capacity, effective March 10.