Charlottesville restaurant coming up with more ways to make dining safer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The coronavirus pandemic and the winter months have resulted in fewer people dining indoors, but one restaurant manager in Charlottesville is breathing a sigh of relief as he sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Now we’re just starting to get our ducks in a row and looking forward to when people can start celebrating in groups again,” The Local Manager John Allen said.

Business at the restaurant in the Belmont neighborhood has slowed down: “Our numbers are much lower than previous years,” Allen said.

Allen says he has been taking a proactive approach since the beginning of the pandemic, researching cost-effective solutions to make indoor dining safer.

“We’ve got fresh air intakes for our AC units installed so all of our heaters are pulling in fresh air from the main dining room, and the air purifiers are all set up and scattered through the main dining floors of the restaurants. We’ve even added humidifiers to control the humidity, as well,” the manager said.

With hand sanitizer at each table, spaced-out dining rooms, and party limits of six people, Allen says this model has been making his customers feel comfortable.

“We’re on the downslope and it’s not going to be easy, but it hasn’t been so far. We can see the end goal, and so we know we’ll make it,” Allen said.

When Allen’s not thinking of new ways to make dining safer, he’s thinking about others who may be struggling: “We donate meals to families in need and shelters, and it’s the community support that allows us to do that,” he said. “There are people out there willing to help you. We can help you with dinner. We’re all made better by helping each other.”

If you’re in need of a meal, Allen says you can send The Local an email at thelocal@thelocal-cville.com for help.

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