How Local Businesses are Surviving the Pandemic

How+Local+Businesses+are+Surviving+the+Pandemic

Daniel Kelly

Many small, local businesses throughout the world are suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic. One business that is making it through this tough time is Kelly’s Steak and Seafood.

Once the pandemic started, Kelly’s closed just like everywhere else. After a few days, they started doing take-out meals, a very drastic change from the usual since they have not done to-go items for about 5 years. The days of operation also changed, going from 7 days a week to only Tuesday through Saturday, 4:30-9.

Once government regulations let businesses start to reopen, things started to return to normal a bit. Kelly’s was allowed 50% capacity indoors, and as many people outside they wanted as long as tables were six feet apart.

To follow all of the Covid-19 regulations put into place, they had to change parts of the restaurant. Plexiglass windows were installed between all of the booths, outdoor seating was expanded, air purifiers were purchased, and large tents were placed outside to provide rain cover and shade to the outdoor seating.

After a few weeks of good business, the government told restaurants and bars that they would have to reduce capacity to 25% indoors, including staff. One of the owners, Tien Kelly, had this to say, “During this tough time we have been fortunate to have been able to successfully integrate take out into our daily operations.  We have been very fortunate to have so many customers who have stood by and supported us. Hopefully, we can return to 50% capacity in the near future.”