March 17:
The order came down and owners wondered what would happen if the shutdown was for more than a few weeks. That seems so naive now. Some owners said they would run with takeout until inventory was gone. Then they wouldn t reorder until the future was clearer.
Indoor dining didn t reopen until June and only with 50% capacity allowed, but a reality of much less with socially distanced tables.
On March 9, I interviewed the couple that were getting ready to open Saladworks in the same Fountain Street building as the Journal newsroom. That was a first. No restaurant was in the building before and it was the first Saladworks franchise in Rhode Island.