As the nation continues to stabilize following the COVID-19 outbreak, many state leaders are allowing doors to re-open for a return to how life was before the pandemic began.

One key element to achieving that normality for some is the re-opening of restaurants across the country.

While states such as Ohio have allowed their restaurants to offer dine-in services again – while maintaining strict social distancing guidelines – others, such as Maryland, have yet to move past outdoor dining only.

Even so, the move to re-open in any capacity has proved encouraging for some restaurant owners across the country.

OHIO

In March, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine closed all bars and restaurants from hosting patrons but, like other states, did allow businesses to offer take out and delivery. Now, all restaurants are able to have dining services by following guidelines set by the Ohio Department of Health.

Restaurants were able to allow outdoor dining on May 15 and dine-in service resumed on May 21.

There is no capacity limit for restaurants to follow as they open up dining rooms, but they must keep 6 feet between parties when waiting and dining. If that’s not possible, they must install barriers. The maximum number of individuals in a party is 10.

All employees for restaurants must wear facial coverings and complete a daily COVID-19 symptom assessment. Finally, extensive cleaning recommendations also must be followed.

WEST VIRGINIA

Even when Mario’s Restaurant and Lounge had to close to in-person dining in March, owner Dan DiCarlo didn’t think the end was in sight for the Weirton establishment, which was opened half a century ago by his father.

“It never even entered my mind,” he said.

“It was scary at first,” admitted DiCarlo, “but then once we started realizing the takeout business we were doing, it was like, ‘Everything’s going to be OK.'”

The Italian restaurant that employs about 50 people was only doing approximately 40 percent of its normal business through takeout in late March, he said. That amount gradually increased to closer to 50 percent.

Although West Virginia restaurants were able to offer outdoor dining in early May, DiCarlo elected not to go that route, “mainly because the weather was still not too great.”

But when restrictions on indoor dining were relaxed, Mario’s opened to customers on May 26. About a quarter of the restaurant’s workers, mostly wait staff, had been laid off, but most are back now, DiCarlo said.

With capacity limited to 50 percent, Mario’s can seat about 80 people now. DiCarlo said the business over the last nearly two weeks has been pretty evenly split between dine-in and takeout.

“I think still a lot of people are kind of hesitant” about going out during the pandemic, he said.

Tables at Mario’s are no longer pre-set with silverware and salt, pepper and cheese shakers. Once customers order, menus are taken back and sanitized. Servers also wear masks.

“Some people feel that it may not get back to normal for a long time,” DiCarlo said. “Some people say forever.”

DiCarlo said he’s grateful for customers’ support by ordering takeout while the restaurant was unable to fully reopen.

PENNSYLVANIA

Lena’s CafÈ in Altoona, Pennsylvania, has been in business for 80 years. Casey Higgins is the third-generation owner of the family restaurant, which has never seen challenges like the one brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve all worked harder than we’ve ever worked at the restaurant,” Higgins said.

After most businesses and restaurants were closed in March, Lena’s opened for takeout and curbside pickup, Higgins said. Since then, they’ve sold more than 300 pans of frozen lasagna. They’re also selling quarts of soup, trays of meatballs and family-style meals, “just to scrape every nickel and dime we can,” Higgins said.

“We just had to adjust,” he said. “It was trial and error to see what worked and what didn’t work. Customers have been great about it. We haven’t really had any complaints.”

Much of the state has entered into the “green phase” of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, which allows for restaurants to open at 50 percent capacity. The more densely populated areas of the southeastern part of the state remain in the more restrictive yellow phase.

Higgins plans to open the cafÈ to dining over the weekend to see how it goes. The capacity and spacing regulations could be problematic for a place like his, as it’s a “very small footprint,” he said.

“That’s a problem for a lot of small family places,” he said. “We pack people in – that’s how we make money.”

MARYLAND

The Wine Kitchen on Carroll Creek in downtown Frederick had just 36 hours from the announcement that outdoor dining would be allowed to resume when owner Jason Miller welcomed his first customers under those guidelines on May 29.

“We made it happen,” Miller said.

It helped that the business’s location in Leesburg, Virginia, was serving customers outside, “so we had already developed a lot of procedures that we adopted here,” he said.

Among those procedures are using a mister to sanitize tables after customers leave, as well as options for touch-less menus and payments.

Instead of picking up a physical menu, customers can scan a QR code from a card on the table and look at the menu on their smartphone, Miller said. When it’s time to pay, customers receive a receipt with a unique QR code allowing them to pay online as well.

For those unable to use the electronic option, there are disposable menus available.

“Our first choice is to limit waste, and the more we can limit our staff standing at the table is better for everybody,” he said.

The Wine Kitchen has around 20 employees, half its pre-COVID-19 level, Miller said. The patio can accommodate 28 diners maintaining social distance, which is half its normal capacity.

Miller would like to see that increase with the City of Frederick offering multiple options for restaurants to expand their outdoor seating capacity on city sidewalks, parking spaces, private property, closed streets and city parks, alleys and lots.

“The town of Frederick has been really great,” Miller said.

He also appreciates the patience of patrons with the new sanitization procedures in place.

“Everybody has been very kind and very patient because everything takes a little bit longer now,” Miller said.

Maryland counties received the go-ahead from Gov. Larry Hogan’s office last week to enter Stage Two of the state’s recovery plan on Friday. Guidelines for restaurants remain the same, with outdoor dining, pickup and delivery permitted.

VIRGINIA

In Virginia, most of the state moved Friday into its second phase of reopening, which allows restaurants to open up for dining at half the seating capacity. Northern Virginia and Richmond, however, remain in phase one.

Bonnie Blue Southern Market & Bakery in Winchester, Va., has opened its outdoor patio for people to dine outside, but they have yet to open the dining room, according to spokesperson Matt Pellatt. Some of the restrictions for opening the dining room include spacing 6 feet apart and wearing masks.

“We’re waiting to see if they’ll amend the restrictions to make it easier on everybody,” Pellatt said.

In the beginning of the pandemic, the business’s numbers were down, he said.

“People were scared to leave their house, let alone order food from a restaurant,” Pellatt said. “Once people started to get used to it and realized how long we we’re going to be stuck like this, they started ordering for curbside pickup.”