As vaccination rates increase, COVID-19 drop down and restrictions ease up, experts are “cautiously optimistic” about the onset of the summer season in the Poconos.
While Memorial Day weekend wasn’t necessarily the perfect time for backyard barbecues and fireworks due to two days of rain and cold, it appears that the northeast region of the commonwealth is on the road to recovery. Insiders from the world of business, hospitality and restaurants in the area have reported promising starts for the summer in the Poconos, and are looking forward to a busy season.
Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau President and CEO Chris Barrett noted that since capacity limits eased up on Memorial Day, his professional contacts have noted that business have reported an “extremely strong start to the summer.” While last Saturday and Sunday were a bit rainy, the weather on May 31 kept a lot of visitors in the Poconos for outdoor activities, Barrett said.
Poconos restaurateurs and industry workers are eagerly awaiting a major move forward as mitigation restrictions are set to be lifted this Memorial Day.
Following the announcement that temporary capacity limits on all businesses will be lifted at 12:01 a.m. May 31, restaurant industry owners are ready to get back to work at full steam.
Trip Ruvane, co-founder and owner of Barley Creek Brewing Company in Tannersville, and president of the northeast chapter of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the announcement was welcome news after months of targeted regulations, quick shutdowns and large losses in the restaurant world.
“If this industry can back to a semblance of normalcy and that means people are comfortable going out, there s a lot of demand to get out of the house and get back to some sort of, you know, take a deep breath and have some fun I think that will solve a lot of the financial pressures that we’ve been under,” Ruvane said.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund has opened its doors, offering relief to an industry devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic in areas like the Poconos and the surrounding northeast region of Pennsylvania.
As the pandemic forced indoor dining shutdowns, limited seating capacities and specialized rules and cutoffs for alcohol consumption, the restaurant and hospitality industry suffered significant losses and numerous closings not only in the northeast region of the Keystone State, but across Pennsylvania and beyond.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund hopes to provide a helping hand to those establishments that experienced as-yet incalculable losses to their income.
The fund will offer restaurants, bars and other eligible businesses that serve food and drink funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue losses up to $10 million per business. As long as those funds are put toward approved uses by March 11, 2023, the relief does not have to be repaid.