Warwick Restaurant Owner Hopeful As State Lifts COVID Limits

WARWICK, RI — With coronavirus metrics showing improvement, restaurants, gyms, and funeral parlors across Rhode Island are now allowed to expand capacity following an announcement from the office of Gov. Dan McKee.

Moving forward, restaurants may seat at 66% capacity, up from 50%, McKee and state commerce secretary Stefan Pryor announced at a Thursday news conference. The news follows a tough 12 months for restaurant owners who have had to spend money to comply with state COVID-19 safety requirements while at the same time having to cut staff as revenues dwindled.

The owner of The Cozy Grill, a lunch and breakfast restaurant located at 440 Warwick Avenue, said Friday that McKee's announcement was "good news." Tommy Pilderian remarked that 2020 was a very tough year not just for owners, but for restaurant workers such as servers and cooks.

"Restaurant employees should be able to get back to work and start making a good living again," he said. "One-hundred percent capacity would be great, but we don't know when that's going to happen. In the meantime, things are looking brighter, and things are opening up."

Photo Courtesy Tommy Pilderian

The Cozy Grill operated outdoor dining throughout the summer and into September with a tent, persevered through the late fall, and then experienced a drop in business when former governor Gina Raimondo instituted her three-week economic "pause" in December.

"That pause hurt us," said Pilderian. "But we're coming back now with more people eating out." The Cozy Grill will establish its tent again in May, and Pilderian said he's once again rehiring some staff that he had to lay off.

Reached by telephone Friday during the breakfast rush, an on-site manager at The Cozy Grill expressed cheerful optimism about the new capacity limits. "We love it! We're looking for things to grow and get back to normal as soon as possible," said the manager, who asked to be identified only as "Mark."

The Rhode Island Hospitality Association on Thursday celebrated the new limits and thanked McKee for his “continued commitment to small businesses, particularly the hospitality industry.” President and CEO Dale J. Venturini said that the new administration and its health department "listened to our concerns.” The McKee administration also plans to adjust restrictions on catered events.

Rhode Island gyms and fitness centers are also seeing more latitude. They may now host one customer per 100 square feet, up from one per 125 square feet. Funeral homes may now host 30 guests at wakes and indoor events, while outdoor funerals may now have 50 mourners, up from 25.

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