Coronavirus Forces Temporary Shutdown Of West Hartford Eatery

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A popular West Hartford restaurant and tavern is temporarily shutting down again, citing the restrictive coronavirus environment.

The owners of Rizzuto's Restaurant & Bar posted the news on Facebook last week. The business is located at 111 Memorial Road in West Hartford.

"We want to extend our warmest and most sincere thanks to all of our customers and fans. We were filled with excitement and hope when we reopened three months ago," a post on Facebook read. "We created safe, unique and fun outdoor dining cabanas which were enjoyed by all. We redesigned our indoor space to exceed all distancing protocol. Our guest experience ratings were at all-time highs. Unfortunately, there was no way to utilize our immensely popular bar, always a primary component of our restaurant."

As the temperatures have cooled down, so had the desire for outdoor dining, the post read.

"Our business worked this summer with the reduced number of indoor seats supplemented by the cabanas. We now face the loss of outdoor seating," ownership said. "Fortunately, many restaurants are able to close this gap via take out service, however our location and parking continue to make this impossible."

Because of the "unfathomable complications" the business will again temporarily close, ownership said.

"We are looking at our business model, and our interior space, and are working on a strategies that will allow us to reopen soon. We will continue to update the community as we all get through this difficult time," ownership said. "We are hopeful that Congress will pass another round of economic stimulus, which would help considerably. We appreciate all of the dedication of our outstanding staff. Stay safe, always protect yourself, and we hope to see you again soon!"