2021 Businesspeople of the Year: John and Otto Wittmeier timesreview.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesreview.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jonathan Perkins of The Cooperage Inn, left, and Jerry Dicecco Jr. of Jerry and the Mermaid are the News-Review’s 2020 Businesspeople of the Year. (Credit: David Benthal/Tara Smith)
When the COVID-19 pandemic led to restaurants being restricted from offering traditional indoor, sit-down service, Jerry and the Mermaid the popular East Main Street seafood restaurant that’s been in downtown Riverhead since 1994 - didn’t let it get them down.
Instead, they quickly adapted and began offering a $50 produce box to the public at cost and transitioned the business toward curbside pickup and deliveries along with grocery items.
Soon, Jerry Dicecco Jr., who owns the restaurant along with his father, Jerry Sr., began selling cartons of eggs, toilet paper and wholesale produce to stay afloat, something he said he never imagined he’d be doing.