Diners get some fresh air in Steubenville

Restaurants with outdoor seating get first taste of post-lockdown business

By offering outdoor seating and complying with public health protocols in dining areas and the kitchen, some local restaurants have been able to serve customers on-site this weekend.

It was their first experience with doing business following the pandemic-spurred lockdown. And despite having to adapt to new space requirements and other conditions, restaurateurs and clientele seemed happy with that first step toward regular business.

More restaurants are expected to follow on Thursday with the planned lifting of a ban on indoor dining under certain conditions.

"So far nobody's complained. I think (customers) understand and get it," said Joe Redlinger, general manager of Bennigan's.

He added, "I think most people are happy to be out."

Redlinger noted the Steubenville restaurant's outdoor dining area was reconfigured to provide at least 6 feet space between customers while kitchen and wait staff alike donned masks to deter spread of the coronavirus.

He said under the current space restrictions, the patio has a seating capacity of about 50 but customers are encouraged to call ahead.

Redlinger said restaurants aren't permitted to seat parties of more than 10 people and the wide umbrellas over the tables don't allow for many to be combined.

But the umbrellas also shielded customers from a slight drizzle Friday evening, allowing them to continue to enjoy their meals, he said.

"As soon as we see lightning or hear thunder, we have to close the patio," Redlinger noted, adding in that case, the remainder of the customers' meals will be boxed for them to take home.

This weekend brought the return not only of on-site customers to many restaurants but also many staff who had been furloughed or laid off during the lockdown.

Redlinger said he and a few others in Bennigan's management team worked during the last two months to fill its take-out orders.

With the opening of the patio came 18 staff members, and he hopes another 15 to 20 will return in the weeks ahead.

He said management met with the returning staff four days ago to clean and sanitize the entire restaurant and prepare for new ways of serving customers.

"It's an adjustment for the staff but they're doing quite well. I'm super proud of them," Redlinger said.

Greg Froelich, owner of Froelich's Classic Corner, said he, his wife, Debbie; and two others handled take-out orders during the lockdown, a few more joined them this weekend, and he expects about 8 of 16 employed prior to the quarantine to return next weekend.

In preparation, he's made plans to spread customers around various areas of the restaurant, including a room used for private parties and another occupied by a pool table that will be removed.

"We're encouraging groups of more than four to call ahead so we can prepare space for them in advance," Froelich said.

This weekend the restaurant's patio was opened for dining and Froelich arranged for a disc jockey and karaoke to entertain diners on Saturday night from within the large garage door opening used when that area of the building was occupied by a car museum.

Reopening the restaurant to on-site dining was a cause for celebration when the lockdown and continued concern about COVID-19 have delivered a financial blow to many eateries.

Froelich said during the quarantine, "We had numerous people come in and thank us for being here, and I said, we're just surviving."

He said with the cancellation of graduation parties, wedding rehearsal dinners and other private parties, the restaurant has lost about 50 percent of its business.

"On Easter and Mothers Day we did about one-third of our usual business. They are big days. They mean a lot to our economy," Froelich said.

But he added he's grateful for the larger number of take-out customers, who have ordered everything from steak and shrimp to pot roast and chicken pot pies, a popular addition to the menu made by Debbie that has proven popular.

"Our takeout and delivery had at least doubled," he said.

Froelich added a number of new faces were behind those orders.

"We've found there are some very good-hearted people out there," he said.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)