When West Hartford’s Prospect Cafe closed in September, saying it could no longer weather the COVID-19 storm, owners called the effects on restaurants “relentless.” Now there are estimates of the pandemic’s destruction: 600 shuttered restaurants in eight months, with more to come.
The Connecticut Restaurant Association began using the number last week, and executive director Scott Dolch fears it’s only the beginning as the state heads into winter with rising case numbers.
“Unfortunately, I have a feeling that number is rising. That’s what’s scary,” he said. “On average they’ve lost close to 18 to 24% of their accounts and to be honest, with that number, we’ve probably lost more. I’m hoping that people are holding out to try to figure this out and get through it.”
Dolch said he’s basing his estimate on conversations with five of the state’s top food distributors, who have lost accounts throughout the year as restaurants have either opted to close permanently or have not yet set a date to reopen.
“Right now, it’s over 600,” he said. “And there’s projections that could go as high as 2,000, maybe even north of that, if we have another shutdown, God forbid, we don’t. But that curve scares me every day.”
New state restaurants have opened since March, but not enough to offset that vast number of closings, Dolch said, and many of those were in the planning phases for 12 to 18 months before an official opening date.
Heading for shutdown?
As case numbers rise in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont has capped private gatherings at 10 people and required restaurants to close by 10 p.m., a move restaurants owners say could decimate already thin profit margins. He said Thursday he is “trying to do everything I can to keep restaurants and gyms open” without ruling out stricter measures in the future.
If Lamont were to impose further restrictions, he said last week, gyms and indoor dining would likely be the targets.
“If I looked at a risk continuum, I would say gyms and indoor dining is something I have to look at carefully because that’s relatively more risky than retail, which I’d think we can probably keep open safely,” Lamont said.
Lamont has been guided by a recent Department of Public Health study of state outbreaks that found restaurants account for about 30% of the clusters. The outbreaks affect restaurant staff — not patrons — because they tend to work in close proximity and small spaces, the study suggested.
Looking for help
Mystic restaurateur Dan Meiser, who’s also the president of the CRA, noted the number of closings during a virtual roundtable with Sen. Chris Murphy on Facebook Live Friday. He and other restaurant owners from around Connecticut spoke with the senator to share their COVID-19 experiences and to make the case for more federal and state aid for their industry.
“In order for Connecticut restaurants and hospitality to survive, the cavalry’s got to show up,” he said. “Whether that’s in the form of state aid or an additional federal package, something has got to happen. We’ve already lost 600 restaurants in the state of Connecticut, 600, already. That was through the summer and fall when we had outdoor [dining.] As we go into the winter, I think the reality is we’re going to see those numbers spike as well, and that’s a scary proposition.”
Murphy said after hearing the restaurant owners’ stories, it was clear he need to “turn up the heat” on his colleagues in Congress to pass additional relief for the industry.
Dolch said he’s been in contact with state officials, including David Lehman, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, hoping for more state grant funding. The CT CARES Small Business Grant Program will provide a one-time $5,000 grant to eligible small businesses, but Dolch has said neighboring states have been providing much more aid. Massachusetts is offering similar grants up to $75,000, and Rhode Island is offering grants of $30,000.
“I don’t want to see us come out of this pandemic with only 5,000 restaurants,” he said. “I want to put together a program that we can save those 2,000 restaurants or so that are on the brink right now. And how do we do that?
“I said to [Lehman], ‘I’m not looking for you guys to save our industry; you can’t do that, you don’t have the money. I’m asking for you to help us get to the next federal stimulus. …It might get them two or three months to see if there’s a federal stimulus, and then they can then continue to spring and hopefully we have a vaccine.”
Already lost
The state has already seen some high-profile closings. Dish Bar & Grill, a staple on Main Street since 2007, closed permanently in August, hurting from the loss of bar business and a subdued downtown atmosphere with many office employees working remotely.
“Without outdoor dining, with the size of the space, and with very little corporate business downtown at this point in time, without an exact timetable of return, it just doesn’t make sense [to stay open],” co-owner Bill Carbone said at the time.
Firebox Restaurant in Hartford, which had also been in business for 13 years, closed in June. Cary Wheaton, Firebox’s owner representative and the executive director of its nonprofit partner Forge City Works, said that curbside pickup and other takeout options were not enough to sustain Firebox, as it was a “destination restaurant” that saw guests from Trinity College, nearby employers, sporting events and theater performances.
Other closings include Ted’s Montana Grill on Hartford’s Front Street, Shady Glen’s Parkade location in Manchester and Geno’s Grille, Geno Auriemma’s Italian restaurant in Storrs Center. Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale closed its New Haven location in October, citing the effects of the pandemic as the reason the owners opted not to renew the lease.
West Hartford’s Prospect Cafe, at the corner of Prospect Avenue and Park Road, permanently closed in September, noting the effects of COVID-19 on its business.
“We had hoped to weather the Covid storm but it has been relentless and uncertain,” the restaurant posted on its Facebook page. “We wish to thank our wonderful friends, loyal customers and outstanding staff for your support over the past several years. Serving you has been a real pleasure.”
Rizzuto’s in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square, which reopened in August, announced in October that the restaurant will close again temporarily, citing the loss of outdoor dining and the inability to use its popular bar space.
Fighting to hang on
But there have also been signs of ingenuity, as restaurants reinvent business models or new operators take over vacated spaces. Prospect Cafe in West Hartford, which closed in September, is set to become Caribe Restaurant in the coming weeks, and Aurora’s, a Guatemalan restaurant and bakery, will take over the Banh Meee space at 399 Capitol Ave. in Hartford.
West Hartford’s Blue Plate Kitchen, which was due to close at the end of August, is now under new management, with Miguel Proano, owner of Manchester’s Pastrami on Wry, and business partner Carlina Fontaine as the Bishops Corner restaurant’s new owners. Middletown’s Herd Restaurant closed its original location in August, but has since moved its operation to share space with city neighbor Cafe 56.
Herd’s owners, while announcing the closing of its Metro Square restaurant, noted that the pandemic’s effects rippled well beyond the state.
“COVID19 has taken its toll on many restaurants, staff members, servers, bartenders and kitchen staff members across the globe,” the post read. “We made an attempt to keep our team employed for as long as possible, offered new options with Herd at Home, and streamlined our menus, all in an effort to keep our community supporters well fed.”
“I think it’s important for everyone to understand that no one in our industry has had a positive COVID experience,” Meiser said during the roundtable Friday. “It has been devastating to our industry, not just here in Connecticut, but nationally.”
Courant reporter Alex Putterman contributed to this report.
Leeanne Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@courant.com.
