This week the City of Sarasota approved to continue allowing restaurants to have outdoor dining in parking spots outside of their facilities without forcing anyone to pay fees until the end of the year.
12 hours ago Share This time last year, dining rooms were forced to close because of COVID-19. Today, some restaurants are struggling to keep up with demand from customers eager to eat out.
What a difference a year makes.
In March 2020, faced with a mandate from the governor to cease dine-in operations, Made Restaurant owner and chef Mark Woodruff offered discounts in hopes of enticing customers to place to-go orders. In spring 2021, with restrictions lifted, vaccinations underway and COVID-19 numbers down, Woodruff doesn’t need to do much to sell diners on the idea of eating out.
“We are absolutely slammed, out of control,” Woodruff said. “It’s going really well.”