At Invictus Brewing in Blaine, they were happy to welcome customers back to their outdoor patio. “Just seeing those people again was kind of emotional just to have them back,” said Invictus owner Previn Solberg. “They’ve been supporting us ever since we were shut down as well, but it’s different now that we can actually talk to them in person.”
Invictus and the adjoining Tipsy Steer have been open for take out and that will continue. But they’ve also been working to reopen the patio, even though it’s limited to 50 patrons at a time.
“The more people that we are able to seat the better, no question, but at the same time we want to be very clear that we are very supportive of doing our part to help prevent the spread of the virus,” said Solberg.
Changes include spreading out picnic tables, setting up a reservation system, adding more sanitizers, and temporarily raising the minimum age for customers to 21 to maximize the limited seating. They also encourage customers to wear facemasks when not eating.
“So most people we noticed last night came in with one, when they sat down they removed it, ate and drank, when they went to leave they put it back on,” said Solberg.
Since Invictus already had a patrio, it was not that difficult. For others it was more difficult.
“Certainly for those who have smaller outdoor seating or none have had to figure out how you create some,” said Lori Higgins of the MetroNorth Chamber. “Having the expense of renting tables and chairs and fencing, some have determined its not worth it at this point.”
Higgins says restaurant owners deal with a lot more variables outdoors, like the weather, figuring out how much food to prepare and even buying disposable dishes. So the push to re-open indoor dining rooms continues.
“We’ve been working with the governor’s office with other local chambers and other associations to keep beating the drum to get our restaurants back open so that they can serve indoors,” said Higgins.
Previn Solberg says there’s little he can do about the virus, except take precautions and trust the experts.
“I’m not a scientist, we make beer here,” Solberg says. “I guess there’s some science in beer, but I’m certainly not a virologist so at this point we just need to trust our officials that they are doing the best that they can to ensure public safety and also to ensure a vibrant economy.”
