Norwalk Pizzeria Looks To Take Out As Dining Rooms In CT Close

NORWALK, CT — On Monday, Connecticut's restaurant scene was rocked after Gov. Ned Lamont ordered all bars and restaurants to close, except for takeout and delivery, as the state, and the nation, grapples with the new coronavirus.

Also referred to as COVID-19, the virus is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.

While it is hoped these measures will help mitigate the spread of the virus, it has left many restaurants in uncharted territory as they figure out how to continue to thrive while most residents are avoiding leaving their homes.

"You can't prepare for a total shut down when you're a restaurant owner," Letizia's Pizza co-owner Danny Segers said in an interview with Patch the afternoon of Lamont's announcement."You can try your best, but you can't really see it coming, especially something like this that happens so quickly."

Tucked away in a shopping plaza at 666 Main Avenue, Letizia's is a third-generation pizzeria that serves up pizza and other Italian dishes, with a history that dates back to 1937. Segers is currently one of the pizzeria's three owners, along with Dave Cook and founder Dennis Letizia.

Over the past couple of weeks, Letizia's has taken extra caution to keep everything sanitary in both their kitchen and dining room, however Segers noted it is still similar to the way they usually operate.

"We are always very clean," Segers said. "We pride ourselves on that. We sanitize every night anyway, we mop and vacuum and clean literally every inch of this place every single day."

According to Segers, Letizia's cleanliness is something customers often compliment them on, but as the virus has become more prevalent in the area, the pizzeria has been paying extra attention to it. (To sign up for Norwalk breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"I pretty much wash my hands after any kind of physical contact, and we all are," Segers said. "If somebody sits down at a table, we're sanitizing that table right after they leave, doing stuff like that. It's a little bit extra, but not that much more than what we always do."

See also: Norwalk Pizzeria With History Still Serving Up Fresh Pies Daily

Though Letizia's will now need to shut down its dining room for some time and transition to strictly take out, Segers said they are not as worried about it as others might be.

"Luckily, it's not really a huge loss for us, because our business is primarily take out as it is," Segers said. "Our lunch will definitely take a hit since we do corporate delivery and everybody up and down Route 7 is basically closed."

At the moment, the pizzeria has not had to reduce staff, though they have had to reduce some hours, Segers said. Nonetheless, the team is optimistic that customers will still need to seek take out from them at some point in their week.

"Obviously people are going to be staying in, so I'm sure it will affect our business," Segers said, "but people still have to eat, and with a lot of places closing around us while we're still open, maybe people will still come here [for takeout]."

As evidence, Segers pointed to this past Saturday when the pizzeria ran its "PI Day" special, during which customers could purchase a personal cheese pizza for just $3.14. Though it was a risky move to offer the promotion during a weekend when many were expected to remain indoors, let alone sell pizzas for such a low price with a possible restaurant shutdown looming, Segers said they sold about 215 pies, more than double what they typically sell on a Saturday.

The real reward however was the look on customers' faces when they came in for their discounted pizzas.

"The funny thing is, people were so happy," Segers said. "You've seen so much sort of misery, panic and chaos [the past couple of weeks], and yet people were so thankful and walking in with smiles on their faces. Our dining room was filled for basically the whole day."

Though they will have to make do without their dining room for now, it has not stopped Letizia's from offering their customers a good deal.

Typically, Letizia's offers a special on Sundays that allows customers to purchase a large cheese pizza for just $10. For the rest of March, Letizia's will offer this deal every day at any time.

"We want to help people," Segers said. "People have lost God knows how much, that we just feel like if we can give them $5 off a pizza, it'll help them eat...it doesn't do any good to start raising prices and to affect people who are already being affected by so much, overpaying for everything at grocery stores and all that. It helps them and it helps us."

Though the Letizia's team seems confident they will be alright, Segers admits they are operating in an unprecedented and constantly evolving situation.

"We just don't know anything [right now]," Segers said. "We're like everybody else; this is uncharted. We have no idea what expect."

For those uncomfortable with walking into the restaurant to pick up their take out, the team is sympathetic and is here to help. Segers said any customer who does not wish to enter the building can give them a call when they arrive and an employee will bring any order out to their car.

Letizia's will also continue to take heightened precautions as the team continues to operate during the current situation.

"We are taking every precaution sanitation-wise," Segers said. "We're always clean and we'll continue to be that way, and if you're going to choose a place to go out to, choose us. We are the best pizza place in Connecticut."