Restaurant Owners Generally Happy About Easing Of Limitations

NORTH-CENTRAL CT — Most restaurant owners in north-central Connecticut are pleased with Thursday's declaration by Gov. Ned Lamont that the state will eliminate all capacity restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, effective March 19. However, the mandate of still enforcing social distancing protocols has left a few restaurateurs, and some potential patrons, a bit wary.

Restaurants still have an 11 p.m. closing time and 8-person table capacity, and some smaller venues required to maintain six feet of space between tables may effectively limit capacity to 50 percent, without even needing a separate rule in place.

Jay Ravalese, manager of the Country Diner in Enfield, told Patch, "We are pleased with Gov. Lamont’s recent decision to loosen some restrictions that have been placed on Connecticut restaurants since being allowed to reopen approximately 10 months ago. It’s been a trying year for many industries throughout the country, with food service and hospitality being amongst the hardest hit. After a tumultuous 2020 that saw food service and hospitality destinations ravaged by a pandemic economics while also frequently being made into a bogeyman, the headline that our industry deserves, frankly, is 'Restaurants are safe to frequent at full capacity, Gov. Lamont says.' And that’s what we hope people take away from this most recent announcement; if you were at all nervous about dining in public, you don’t need to feel that way any longer. Between social distance measures, sanctioned health/safety protocols throughout the pandemic and increased vaccination, public spaces (including restaurants) are being recognized as safe spaces again. This is a very encouraging development across the board—for both our industry and American life. While social distancing measures make this announcement a bit underwhelming from a practical application perspective, we recognize the public health risk that close-quarter seating still poses in the midst of a pandemic, and will gladly continue to comply with the recommendations of the CDC and state and local COVID guidance. We will continue to make safety and wellness a priority at our restaurant as the country works to vaccinate against COVID and bring this nightmarish chapter of modern life to a close."

Mario Ferrentino, whose family owns Francesco’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, in Suffield and who is set to open Mario's Pizzeria & Ristorante in Somers on March 16, said, "The timing for allowing full capacity in restaurants couldn’t have worked out any better, as our new place in Somers is set to open that same week. As long as everyone respects and follows the guidelines, I think we are finally heading in the right direction. As a business owner, I’m very excited for this."

A subgroup of people who have been greatly affected by the yearlong coronavirus pandemic are entertainers hired to perform in restaurant lounges and patios.

Bruce John, a singer/guitarist who covers hit songs from the 1950s through 1970s at numerous venues in Tolland and Windham counties, told Patch, "I am chomping at the bit to get back to my regular shows at Basil's, Beni's, Hilltop, Lake View and many more fine establishments. All of my musician friends are desperately trying to book their summer with a hopeful outlook that the pandemic will subside and restaurants will be back to 100 percent capacity."

Even with the easing of limitations, some remain leery. Kat Ouellette of Enfield said she and her husband have not eaten in a restaurant since the onset of the pandemic.

"Bob and I have not been to a restaurant since the weekend before the pandemic shutdown last March," she said. "At this point, we still will not go, and it will be that way for the foreseeable future. No slights on the restaurants and their safety protocols; it's the other patrons I'm worried about. There are still people out there who have become, for lack of a better word, reckless. I see it all the time. We would rather err of the side of caution than get into the "won't happen to me" mode of thought. We'll wait till more people are vaccinated and the percentages show that we are trending to a better place."

Mary-Jo Bielecki wrote, "I personally have not eaten in a restaurant in two years - 2019 due to being laid off and 2020 due to COVID. I’m going to keep on keeping on - cooking at home. I just think rolling back this quickly is a mistake, but then again, what do I know. I’m no expert."

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