MIAMI VALLEY — It’s no secret that restaurants and bars felt the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, with many restricted to take-out only orders for several months last spring. Now, those same restaurants are gearing up for in-person dining as the weather warms and the COVID-19 situation seems to be improving.
“During the pandemic, we lost a million dollars of revenue,” said Blake Wright, managing partner of the four local T.J. Chumps restaurants in the Miami Valley. “A lot of challenges, the sales we did get, not as profitable because of everything else we needed to be doing.”
>> Dayton extends patio program to help small businesses
As the weather turns from winter to spring, Wright is much more optimistic for 2021.
“We do know people are more comfortable outdoors, people still want to get out,” Wright told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell.
T.J. Chumps plans to hire about 100 people at its four local locations, but consumer confidence will be key in getting people to come to restaurants to dine.
“You can have 1000 seats, if only 100 people are comfortable coming in, then it doesn’t matter,” Blake said.
Just last week, the city of Dayton also expanded its pop-up patio program, extending the deadline from March to now the end of 2021.
Last year, the city started the program to provide businesses with guidance on planning, installing, and operating new patios and customer seating on private property or in public right-of-way areas.
It also was announced in recent weeks that the patio extension program Out on Fifth also is expected to return to the Oregon District this spring.
>> “Out on Fifth” expected to return this spring
An official start date for Out on Fifth has not been set, but officials say to “expect it to occur again.”
Businesses in Dayton, like many across the state, saw a drop in sales in the six months where either a curfew or a 10:00 p.m. alcohol cut-off was in place. But with a drop in COVID numbers in recent weeks, the state has loosened restrictions and businesses have started the climb to bounce back from the losses from last year.
Cox Media Group
