Saturday, May 23, 2020
Jackie Oktay has been busy homeschooling her kids, converting two restaurants to takeout businesses, and keeping 40 people employed. So she missed the news on Wednesday that restaurants could open for outdoor dining on Friday. They'd been ordered to stay closed for two months as part of the state's effort to rein in the coronavirus.
Oktay, co-owner of Istanbul Kebab House in Burlington and Tuckerbox in White River Junction, found out Thursday morning that restaurants got the green light.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’ ‘’ Oktay said by telephone Thursday afternoon. “The wheels start turning: What the heck do I have to do now?”
Tags: restaurants , COVD-19 , dining out , Burlington , Vermont , takeout , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Restaurants in Vermont can open for outdoor dining starting Friday, according to guidelines released Wednesday by state officials.
Gov. Phil Scott closed the state's eateries on March 17, though he allowed them to continue takeout, curbside and delivery service. Wednesday's decision to allow outdoor dining on-site is the latest step in reopening the state's businesses.
The update to Vermont’s “Be Smart, Stay Safe” order includes certain stipulations: Restaurants must use disposable menus, and a reservation or “call-ahead seating” system; tables must be at least 10 feet apart; takeout service, as opposed to table service, is preferred; and the maximum number of diners seated at one time can be 50 people or the licensed seating capacity, whichever is less.
Leunig’s Bistro, located at the high-traffic corner of College and Church streets in Burlington, can seat 50 people outdoors, chef-owner Donnell Collins told Seven Days Wednesday night. But with tables spaced 10 feet apart, Leunig’s can accommodate 18 to 20 customers, Collins said.
“I can’t support 95 people with 20 seats,” she said, referring to the size of her staff. “It’s just not gonna happen.”
Tags: Restaurants , Vermont , business , outdoor dining , Be Smart , Be Safe , Leunig's Bistro , Mad Taco , COVID-19 , Web Only , Image
Monday, May 11, 2020
“We are here to let you know that the Vermont Restaurant Industry is in crisis and we need your support,” the petition reads. “Without easily accessible direct aid many restaurants will close permanently.”
Tags: Vermont Restaurant Coalition , Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce , restaurant petition , COVID-19 , local business , Web Only , Image
Sunday, May 3, 2020
"This crisis is such a tidal wave for restaurants," Bette said. "It has the potential to sink all-size boats."
The grassroots organization is working with local chambers of commerce and area associations, as well as national industry groups, to advocate for the specific needs of restaurants and other food and beverage destinations that have been forced to shutter their doors or radically change their business model during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Tags: COVID-19 , restaurants , business , Paycheck Protection Program , Vermont Hospitality Coalition , Web Only , Image
Friday, March 27, 2020
Restaurants are adapting, trying to support their employees and their communities, and aiming to make money however they can — all with the goal of, hopefully, reopening as their former selves when it's safe for people to gather again.
With a kitchen full of food, Poco restaurant owners Stefano Cicirello and Susie Ely have pivoted to stocking pantries. The Burlington eatery, open on lower Main Street for just under a year, is temporarily operating as an online grocery store.
Tags: Poco , restaurants , grocery , coronavirus , Burlington , Poco Mercato , Stefano Cicirello , Susie Ely , Good To-Go , takeout , delivery , Web Only , Image
Friday, March 20, 2020
On Thursday, Vermont Chamber of Commerce president Betsy Bishop sent a letter to Gov. Phil Scott urging further action to support restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter requests the immediate abatement of the February and March meals and rooms tax payments, the February installment of which is due on March 25. It also requests freezing the unemployment insurance experience rating for restaurants, extending the state tax filing deadline by 90 days, as well as the appropriation of an extra $2 million in tourism advertising to draw visitors to Vermont in the future.
The governor's office declined to comment to Seven Days on the Chamber's requests, stating it would respond directly to Bishop.
The Chamber of Commerce is the only restaurant association in Vermont, representing more than 330 establishments. In the letter, Bishop wrote, "We are very concerned about the economic impact the closure of these businesses will have on our rural communities and downtowns."
Tags: Vermont Chamber of Commerce , Coronavirus , restaurant , Canteen Creemee Company , Meals and Rooms Tax , Jed Davis , Amy Spear , Don't 86 Us , Susanne Young , Vermont Department of Taxes , taxes , COVID-19 , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
A week ago, I texted a relative who’s a student at Middlebury College: “When all else fails, we can eat!” Lucy texted back a heart.
We made plans to meet at the Arcadian, an Italian restaurant alongside Otter Creek, with four of her college friends and another cousin — seven people in all. The students had been told to leave school in a matter of days because of the threat of COVID-19. We wanted one more hangout.
By text, we called the last-minute meal — where we drank Negronis on tap and shared plates of pasta — a “midd blowout.”
Forty-eight hours later, on Friday, March 13, we wouldn’t have made such a plan or eaten together.
Tags: COVID-19 , Vermont , restaurants , unemployment , shut down , laid off , brewery , bars , food , social distancing , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger announced a 24-hour mandatory closure for Tuesday earlier that day to prevent large gatherings on St. Patrick's Day. These orders are similar to others around the country and the world, aiming to “flatten the curve” of the virus.
The good news is, the governor's order does not ban restaurants from offering food to-go, whether through takeout, curbside pick-up or delivery. Vermont's restaurants are coming up with all kinds of creative ways to feed our communities safely during this crisis.
Tags: coronavirus , restaurants , Good To-Go , delivery , takeout , curbside pickup , Web Only , Image
Friday, March 13, 2020
These measures — and rigorous, repeated cleanings — are among the practices that Vermont restaurants are instituting to help protect staff and customers from the coronavirus and to assuage anxiety as the global pandemic makes its emergence in the state.
Local restaurants are announcing their cleaning routines online, along with messages about the importance of confronting the public health threat as a community.
Tags: COVID-19 , coronavirus , pandemic , restaurants , Vermont , Web Only , Image
Thursday, March 12, 2020
The new ownership group, called the Riot Squad, is made up of current Vermont bar, restaurant and food business owners. It consists of equal partners Jacob Shane, owner of Deli 126; Sam Tolstoi and Matt Small, co-owners of Manhattan Pizza & Pub; and Christie and Matt Farkas, owners of Christie's Gone Bananas.
Tags: ArtsRiot , restaurant news , entertainment news , the Riot Squad , Sam Tolstoi , Matt Small , Jacob Shane , Matt Farkas , Christie Farkas , South End , Burlington , Web Only , Image