While the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still linger, the long-term effects are still waiting around the corner.
As businesses were being shut down to limit human contact and spread of the virus, the restaurant industry was hit with a unique problem.
While most businesses could function to some degree through computer screens, restaurants across America were forced to shut out the one thing that made it’s eateries thrive—the customers who relied not only on their dining experiences but the necessity of the food they provided regardless of the pandemic.
In New York City, one of the most heavily hit areas in the height of the pandemic there were restrictions that, although for the preservation of public health, put many restaurants across Manhattan at stake at shutting down completely if not already doing so.
The executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association Scott Dolch, spoke of the pain that the restaurant industry was facing in the height of the pandemic in a testimony to the commerce committee.
“Over the past 11 months, our industry has watched more than 600 restaurants close,” Dolch stated. “Even for those that have managed to stay afloat, they have faced incredible challenges as they have adjusted to the limits on their business and have worked extremely hard to find new ways to operate while keeping their customers and employees safe.”
Dolch also made an important point that in New Haven alone there are multiple historic “landmark restaurants”, citing some famous businesses such as Frank Pepe’s and Sally’s Apizza. The loss of these locations would not only impact New Haven’s business, but also the culture it has built over decades.
For New Haven, the measures taken followed the same trend, as the governors of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey took on similar models to maintain consistency for their closely-knit populations.
Even as restrictions began to creep back in trend with lower COVID-19 cases, restaurants still were held to the standard to operate at caution. Limited capacities, although allowing customers to return and sit at dining tables, did not give back the same business to the restaurants that had been holding the afloat prior to the pandemic.
However, there still are positive aspects amongst the negatives that restaurants have been experiencing. Outdoor dining and contactless ordering alike have shown the flexibility of local businesses in challenging times.
Last year, at the height of the pandemic, New Haven implemented an outdoor dining program. More than 50 restaurants and eateries across the city participated. But since the waxing and waning of dining restrictions, New Haven officials have selected to keep this program in place.
The renewal of the program came after the Connecticut State Senate voted to approve outdoor dining space programs through 2023.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association has played a major role in the construction and advocacy of legislation in support of the restaurant industry during the pandemic. In 2021, they compiled a “legislative session recap” that highlighted the action taken over the course of the year.
In particular, they claimed ownership of collaboration with political leaders to pass HB 6110, which expedited the approval of restaurants to obtain outdoor food and beverage permits.
One business that has benefited from the increase of outdoor dining spaces is Vibes on Orange, located, of course, on Orange Street in New Haven. Orange Street is the first confirmed street that will be closed starting in April, with College Street also being a prospective location for restaurants to operate their dining experiences outside.
But prior to all of this, many restaurants across Connecticut struggled to get the authorization and permits to serve customers via to-go options. The restaurants themselves, such as Olives & Oil located in New Haven, urged its customers to contact representatives to support their business.
Besides just outdoor dining, which requires government mandated protocols with the program, contactless dining experiences have heightened in the New Haven and Hamden areas alike.
Wood-n-Tap, a restaurant chain with one location operating in Hamden on Dixwell Avenue, has implemented a “grab-and-go” alternative to its variety of signature cocktails. “Booze-n-Out” is how the chain distinguishes this contactless experience to its customers, with four drink kits to select from, prices ranging from $40 to $65 on its website.
Employees at Wood-n-Tap have noticed the changes, working actively during the pandemic and in the decline of cases and regulations. Server Kayla Marcano has been at the local chain for nearly two years and noted that changes internally reflected the legislation put in place.
Even though the restaurant was already able to provide outdoor dining for its customers, Wood-n-Tap continued to adapt the restaurant around the demands of the pandemic.
“We’ve always had a patio but for a long time, the patio was all we offered and when indoor seating became available, we removed tables to promote social distancing and put plexiglass between booths for extra protection.” Marcano stated.
In February of 2022, Hamden mayor Lauren Garrett rescinded Emergency Order No. 11 that required masks in public, facial coverings were still present in restaurants like Wood-n-Tap.
“We wore masks up until about March.” Marcano said, “Some people still wear them for comfort, but when mandates were lifted it was still required.”
And when indoor dining was made available again and the plexiglass was taken down, customers began to enter the doors of Wood-n-Tap again. Still, the staff at the restaurant had to navigate around the anxiety many people still harbor of COVID-19.
“People were excited to dine in, but there were also some people that simply demanded their own dining room because of social distancing and gave us issues when we did not meet their expectations,” Marcano explained, “which was annoying, but I enjoyed working more after restrictions were lifted.”
The customers themselves have expressed appreciation for the measures taken by restaurants and its staff to keep the community safe, in exchange for support of their business.
“If anything I felt more safe, especially at a time like this with such a large pandemic.” said Makena Carr, a junior studying at Quinnipiac University.
Still, with all of the flexibility and endurance that restaurants have shown in the face of the pandemic, the future is uncertain. The restaurant industry continues to hurt two years after the coronavirus pandemic was declared.
Relief funds have been made and utilized over this period of time, but data from the National Restaurant Association shows that this relief is still being waited upon and is not enough to support a majority of those that applied.
The NRA released poll data that showed that nearly half of all restaurants that are waiting for relief will fail if they are not given the funds they have applied for.
“I definitely feel like it is such a big part of my life here, going to New Haven and meeting up with my friends.” Carr said. “I feel that without them, it would feel a lot emptier.”
What is most concerning is that the government is helping, but it still is not enough. In 2021 the Restaurant Revitalization Fund saved more than 900,000 jobs nationwide.
The absence of these businesses would not only devastate the economic benefit the restaurant industry brings to New Haven but would also count as a major loss of the area’s longstanding reputation with cuisine, the thing that makes it place truly unique.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association plans to continue to support restaurants through 2022, with efforts like the “Sales Tax Retention Week” coming up from May 15th to May 22nd. Eateries will be able to keep 100% of sales tax on food and beverages during this time.