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Workers with a local construction company enjoy their first dine-in meal in weeks late Monday morning at the Landing, a family buffet off U.S. 90. Pictured on the front left is Greg Walker, who is joined by Nicholas Flick at right, Aureliano San Juan in the back left and Danny Boone in the back right. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter) -
Local tourism officials finish off their salmon bowls at Marion Street Bistro on Monday. The man facing away from the camera is the county’s sports marketing director, Alden Rosner. On the back right is Paula Vann, executive director of the county’s Tourist Development Council. They were joined by Michelle Moore, front left, and Kim Goldsmith, back left. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter) -
The Landing on U.S. 90 East awaits dine-in customers Monday morning. For the first time in more than six weeks, eateries were able to serve patrons on the property, though with a 25% cap on occupancy. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)
Greg Walker looked at the fried chicken with the same expression a soldier might have upon seeing his wife after a long tour overseas.
Savoring the food in his mouth, Walker leaned back in his chair late Monday morning at the Landing, a buffet off U.S. Highway 90.
“You darn sure don’t realize how much you take things for granted until this happens,” he said, enjoying the meal with his coworkers.
It was their first time dining in at a restaurant in more than six weeks.
Around Lake City, patrons slowly trickled back into their favorite eateries after the state began easing up on restrictions put in place to curb the spread of covid-19.
For the first time since March 20, when Gov. Ron DeSantis banned dine-in service well before Florida was placed under a stricter stay-at-home order, restaurants were allowed to resume seating customers on the premises Monday, albeit with a drastically reduced capacity. In phase one of the state’s plan to reopen the economy, eating establishments are capped at 25% of their normal occupancy rate and must ensure social distancing guidelines are observed.
The lunch crowd in Lake City still appeared to prefer drive-thru and carryout on the first day of the march toward normalcy. Patrons weren’t lining up en masse for a chance to dine in at a local restaurant, but some businesses showed promising signs of life nevertheless.
Paula Vann, the executive director for the Columbia County Tourist Development Council, said she and her colleagues had been discussing where to eat first when businesses began reopening. They landed on Marion Street Bistro downtown, where they all ordered the salmon bowl.
“We’re happy to be back to semi-normal,” Vann said.
Michelle Moore nodded in agreement.
“I didn’t realize how much I would miss it until it’s gone,” Moore said.
Earlier in the day, Marion Street Bistro’s owner, Ron Robbins, didn’t know what to expect.
“People are telling us they’re coming, so we’ll see,” Robbins said around 11 a.m.
It turned out to be an “OK day,” Robinson said.
“It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t our normal traffic, either,” he said.
In addition to the front patio, the restaurant opened up space in the back for another outdoor eating section, allowing it to serve more customers while still complying with the 25% capacity limit.
“We redesigned that courtyard area,” Robbins said.
It may take a while for the restaurant industry to fully rediscover its footing.
The cost of ingredients has “gone through the roof” since the pandemic began, Robbins said, and it’s not been clear what his business’ staffing needs will be as the economy begins to thaw.
“We didn’t know how many people we should bring back,” he said. “We don’t know if it’s going to be busy or not.”
Some restaurants, like Ole Times Country Buffet at the Lake City Mall, did not open today. Ole Times will open Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Even with some level of uncertainty in the mix, Robbins said he and his staff felt glad to be getting back into the swing of things.
“These people need to work and they wanted to work,” he said.