Seacoast Restaurants trying to Navigate the Path to Successful, Safe Reopening

Without a doubt, restaurant owners in the area are facing challenges for a successful reopening of their businesses.  If you imagine the work that goes behind designing a restaurant and planning for everything from the seating arrangements to the path to the kitchen and then COVID-19 takes all your plans and turns them on their head.  Many restaurateurs are having to get creative according to reporting from seacoastonline.com.

The virus has taken a toll on mental, physical, and economic health.  While we consumers are excited about the path of “Stay at Home 2.0” that allowed restaurants to open, with restrictions, that doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination means business as usual for local restaurants.  As diners, I urge you to manage your expectations of dining out.  Have patience and offer gratitude for getting dine out.  Local restaurants are going to experience growing pains in adapting to the new guidelines and handling customers that assume everything has gone back to the old normal.

Evan Mallett, the owner of the Black Trumpet, tells seacoastonline.com “The personal touch is the soul of Portsmouth’s dining scene.  We have these connections between our employees, food service providers, and our clients that are more noticeable and vital here than in any other community I know.  In the meantime, we have to redefine what a restaurant is.”  He makes an excellent point about the return of dining out.  We, as consumers, need to understand there may be fewer menu choices as restaurants make reconnections with their food suppliers.

The restaurants will, due to seating restrictions, be serving a reduced number of diners.  We need to be prepared for things to not be available and above all, be patient.  Many restaurants will not survive the COVID-19 shut down and those that do will have growing pains adapting to the new restrictions.  When we go out to dine, it’s important to remember the hurdles these businesses are jumping just to stay in business.  It’s important to remember that every restaurant saved, is a local food farmer and producer getting some relief.  It’s a server having a job.  So be nice, be patient and tip well.