PITTSFIELD â A year of forced restrictions and closures that made operating extremely difficult finally might be coming to an end for Berkshire restaurants.
Although things arenât back to normal yet, local restaurant owners believe that the worst is behind them as the local economy begins to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.
âI think weâre going to be fine,â said Mickey Soldato, who owns three area restaurants, Zucchiniâs and The Roasted Garlic in Pittsfield and Marioâs in New Lebanon, N.Y. âI think weâre absolutely on the downside of this.â
âItâs definitely daylight,â said Tony Mazzeo, who, along with his brother, Michael, owns Mazzeoâs Ristorante in Pittsfield. âPeople are getting vaccinated, and thatâs helping.â
PITTSFIELD â Luke Marion succinctly summed up what Berkshire restaurant owners are facing as they head into the winter season.
âItâs been hairy out there,â said the owner of Ottoâs Kitchen & Comfort on East Street.
Itâs not hard to see why. While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a big chunk of income from local restaurant owners this year, the recent surge of the virus in Massachusetts has caused Gov. Charlie Baker to impose restrictions on state eateries that went into effect Dec. 13.
The guidelines include a 90-minute ban on sit-down dining; dropping the maximum number of people allowed at a table from 10 to six; and requiring customers to wear masks at all times, except when they actively are eating or drinking. Also, patrons are being encouraged to dine only with household members, in order to reduce transmission of the coronavirus.