'It's like being on the ocean,' says Friedlander of the recent challenges with COVID that left his restaurants Blu, Rosso Italia and Cut151 shuttered. 'You're sailing, and you have a heavy wind. And then all of a sudden there's no wind. You're just dead in the water.'
It's been a little more than two years since the COVID-19 outbreak prompted government shutdowns and the closures of restaurant dining rooms. Crain's sat down with four independent restaurant owners in Greater Cleveland to discuss the pandemic's impact and how they're thinking about the future.