It s been said many times but bears repeating 2020 has been a hard year for restaurants.
According to OneSpartanburg, Inc. Chief Business Affairs Officer John Kimbrell, the pandemic has been hardest on independent restaurants and other small businesses, whose owners have had to make adjustments to accommodate for increasing costs and shifting customer bases. Even without the challenges that COVID-19 presented, the restaurant industry is really one of the tougher industries to succeed in, Kimbrell said. We just encourage people to continue to do business when they can with our local restaurants and merchants, especially during this holiday season.
While a number of restaurants have closed, Spartanburg s restauranteurs have shown great resilience and some of these goodbyes may not be permanent, Kimbrell said. Several restaurants, including The Crêpe Factory, Renato In Centro, and II Samuels, announced their intentions to find new locations as they closed their previous o
Another deli-type restaurant is slated to move into the Monster Subs spot across from City Hall.
Monster Subs owner Pete Gambino said that the dwindling revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to close two of his restaurants, one on Wall Street in downtown Spartanburg and another in Greenville.
Gambino said in January he will move out of his location on E. Blackstock Road where he s been since 2013, and relocate to a smaller space on Highway 29 across from IHOP.
The move will allow him to pay less in rent for a space with more parking, he said.
“We are just going to concentrate on the one store,” Gambino told the Herald-Journal. I ll be able to cut my rent in half, and that s the name of the game right now.
Since early March, the coronavirus pandemic has prompted a number of temporary business closures, caused layoffs, and canceled events and tourism plans for many nationwide.
Spartanburg County has seen some restaurants and other stores close permanently because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, others are struggling to survive.
Eight months ago, Gov. Henry McMaster issued executive orders closing restaurants and many stores to stop the spread of the virus. No stay-at-home orders or mask mandates were issued but residents were encouraged to stay at home and health officials continued to urge residents to wear face coverings and practice social distancing guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-19 Updates: What to keep in mind in Upstate SC for Tuesday goupstate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from goupstate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.