Schools, restaurants react to Baker's restrictionsDate: 3/15/2020 WESTERN MASS. – On the evening of March 15 Governor Charlie Baker hosted a press conference where he announced a new set of sweeping measures the state would be taking to combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Included in the statewide measures were the mandatory closing of all public and private schools for three weeks, limiting gatherings to no more than 25 people and the prohibition of on-site food and beverage consumption at restaurants and bars for three weeks. All orders went into effect beginning March 17 and will continue until April 6.
While a large number of schools in the Lower Pioneer Valley had announced two-week closures on March 13, Baker’s three-week suspension extended the closures by a full week. During the conference, Baker repeatedly asked families not to treat the closure as an “early summer vacation,” but instead to stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing if they needed to go out. While pre-school and childcare services were not suspended, the order strongly urges such providers to observe guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).
Baker cited the “rapid steps” as ways “to protect the health and safety” of Massachusetts residents and “to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.” The measures, he said, “ensure residents can still access key state services while taking necessary precautions…”
While restaurants and bars would not be allowed to provide on-site offerings during the measure, they will still be able to complete take-out and delivery orders. However, the order states that the establishment must “follow the social distancing protocols set forth in the Department of Public Health guidance.”
The restrictions on gatherings include fitness centers, private clubs, conference rooms, theatres, faith-based events, fundraisers, parades, fairs, festivals, community events, civic events, stadiums and any confined indoor or outdoor space.
As of March 15, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 had risen to 164, including Hampden County’s first confirmed case.
The Reminder Publishing staff reached out to school districts and local restaurants in the area that would be impacted by the new measures to find out what steps they were taking during the three-week period. Many restaurants were unsure of what they would do, and advised us to contact them on March 16 when they would have a more solid plan. Some restaurants, however, were able to comment.
SCHOOL REACTION
The Agawam School District announced they would be closing for two weeks on March 13, but since hearing Baker’s order they have extended their closing to meet the three-week requirement set forth by the state. Agawam Superintendent Steven Lemanski told Reminder Publishing the district was “working on supplying students with a connective to school,” and would have “a better idea” on what that meant by the end of the day on March 16. At the time of press, the district had not yet finalized a plan for students’ education throughout the closure.
When discussing the closure decision made on March 13, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt said, “Primary prevention comes into play in the pre-disease phase. It is an important step to take before people or the community are exposed. Intervention at this phase will hopefully prevent our students, teachers, and staff from ever becoming infected.”
Reichelt confirmed that plans were being developed to provide breakfast and lunch to families that rely on this service during the school year.
“This is unchartered waters that we’re in,” said Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent Marty O’Shea. He said the district is moving forward with plans that had been outlined when the decision was made on March 13 to close school districts served by the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative for a period of two weeks. With the governor’s order that all schools in the state be closed until April 7, O’Shea said, “Our expectations remain the same.”
O’Shea said that while the schools are closed, custodians will continue to report to work to clean and sanitize the schools. He said they would even have a chance to get to some tasks that are usually put on the back burner during the school year.
Understanding that the COVID-19 outbreak may make students anxious, O’Shea said that counselors are putting together resources for families on how to talk to their kids about the coronavirus. They are also continuing to reach out to students whom they normally serve.
Though Reminder Publishing did not receive comment from either the Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) or East Longmeadow Public Schools district on Baker’s latest announcement by press time, both districts had previously made the decision to close schools for two weeks.
Prior to Baker’s latest round of restrictions, on March 13, East Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent Gordon Smith explained that they are working with the Board of Health, and that the decision to close is “really out of prevention.” He said, “It kept coming back to what is our responsibility at this step?”
Continuing, Smith shared that they have received guidance from the state. “They gave us scenarios and ways to think about it, but it ended up being a local decision.”
The district has started to look at “remote or continuous learning,” as Smith said they are “well equipped” to use Google Classroom in the district. “We’re always concerned about the students,” he said, adding that they’re doing outreach to put together options for students who rely on free or reduced lunch and breakfast.
Also on March 13 prior to the three-week closure announcement, HWRSD Superintendent Al Ganem explained that in the coming days the district would be deciding what to do in terms of distance learning.
RESTAURANT REACTIONS
Owner Bobby Barkett of Longmeadow restaurant, The Kitchen, explained that during his phone call with Reminder Publishing he was working on writing a note to patrons, explaining the situation and how the business was planning to “retool.”
“I have no plans of closing [The Kitchen,] I’m tooled to do this – thank god we have a very robust takeout menu, but I can’t serve those 40 seats [in the restaurant.] I do have to scale down, unfortunately,” Barkett explained. He continued to state that they will continue to serve at takeout capacity, and that the restaurant is asking for support as “best [residents] can.”
When asked how he felt about the movement that has been heavily discussed on social media recommending that people buy gift certificates to restaurants, even if they don’t plan on using it for weeks, Barkett thought that it was “very helpful” and that it would help to “bridge the gap.”
“They get the value if they buy [the gift card] in advance, and we have some working capital to get us through. We’re all trying to hold on and get through these times,” Barkett said. “It’s tough for the small businesses, very tough.”
Barkett explained that The Kitchen specializes in making people feel at ease. Earlier in the day, he noted, the news was on in their restaurant on the T.V. A customer asked to change the channel to a Red Sox classics special that showed games of only the Red Sox winning. He noted that people “started to feel better.”
“We want [customers] to feel good when they’re here. We’re comfort food,” he said.
Continuing, Barkett explained that he serves a “crazy amount” of pancakes to go, and that he thinks that selling comfort foods such as pancakes, burgers, milkshakes, deli sandwiches and more will aid in helping people feel comforted during uncertain times.
Barkett reiterated that he has “no intention” of closing The Kitchen during this time, and hopes that people will continue to order takeout.
“Lord knows what’s going to happen with this, it’s going to be a big domino effect. People are going to have to tighten their belts,” he said, closing, “We have comfort food and we want people to feel comforted.”
The Kitchen is located at 791 Williams St. in Longmeadow, and can be reached at 754–3770.
Owner Bill Collins of East Longmeadow restaurant, Center Square Grill, explained to Reminder Publishing within an hour after Baker made his announcement that all local restaurants and business owners are “all in this together” and that “there is strength in numbers to weather the storm.”
“As I looked at this pandemic spreading and all of the store shelves emptying I could see this coming in the near future, that closure was probably going to be a definite, not a maybe. For me, I said, ‘So what can I do?’” Collins explained, “I called up my buddy Peter and we brainstormed some ideas.”
The result of the conversation turned into his idea of how locals can support their favorite businesses during this time of uncertainty. He said that he has spoken with eight to 10 local restaurants that, when combined, employ over 2,000 people in Western Massachusetts. Noting that “taking care of our employees is our number one priority,” Collins shared.
He explained that the restaurants would release a memo explaining that first, they appreciate the support that the local communities have given them over the years. From there, he said they would explain that this is a “critical time for [the restaurants] where we really need [support].”
Collins said that each of the restaurants involved will be offering gift cards for sale, and for every $100 spent, they will give the purchaser an additional $20.
“We will use proceeds to pay our staff in short term closure. This is an investment in your favorite local restaurants, which will certainly be opening after the closure is lifted, to help sustain operations of hourly employees,” Collins said.
“We’re all in uncharted territory – we’re all in uncertain times,” Collins noted, continuing, “All business owners are bleeding together here. We need to find a way to figure out how we’re going to sustain.”
Collins shared that Center Square Grill employs 95 people, and that he is “committed to not have [his] employees starve.”
“This is an interesting time, and it’s my responsibility as a business owner to take care of the families that depend on me. I’m trying to get creative to do anything that will accomplish that mission,” Collins said.
While Collins said that he had not made a final decision on whether or not Center Square Grill would completely close for the few weeks or try to bolster their to–go offerings, he did reiterate that his “main goal is to get his employees to work so everyone earns a wage.”
“We’re all in this together, you know? We’re a big part of the community, and for us, we want to do everything the best we can do to support our employees, the community, and come out of this a stronger operation than we went into it. I believe we will and that our community will,” Collins closed.
Center Square Grill is located at 84 Center Sq. in East Longmeadow, and can be reached at 525–0055.
Adam Field, owner of Fieldcrest Brewing Company in Wilbraham said the order from Baker is “certainly not ideal for us. We generate pretty much all of our sales in-house.” Field employs five people in his brewery at 2343 Boston Rd. He said they would still be selling growlers, containers used to sell take-out draft beer during the restricted period.
“I feel like we will be able to get by for the couple weeks of this,” Field said. Fieldcrest Brewing Company can be reached at 596–3632.
Dan O’Connell, owner of Wilbraham’s Blue Elephant Restaurant was less optimistic.
“If it’s for two to four weeks we should be okay, but if it’s longer than that it’ll be tough,” O’Connell told Reminder Publishing. He said the restriction will deeply impact his business.
“My overhead expenses are almost $40,000 a month,” he said, and while the restaurant does a lot of take-out business, he said it would not be enough to make up for the loss of on-site service.
“We’ve been really hands-on in keeping the place clean. [People] shouldn’t be afraid of it, but I understand,” O’Connell said, adding that the restaurant will hand take-out orders to people with as little interaction as possible to make them more comfortable.
O’Connell, who employs 10 people, said he will do his best to keep them working.
“We’re Americans, you know?” O’Connell said. “We’ll do what we got to do to get through this.”
Blue Elephant is located at 2000 Boston Rd. in Wilbraham, and can be reached at 543-1500.
Unlike many businesses that will continue take-out service throughout the restriction, Reid’s Corner, a breakfast restaurant in Hampden will have to close down completely.
“Breakfast is not a very popular take out meal with patrons,” said owner B.J. Reid. He said that he has let his 18 employees know that they will be closed for the duration.
“My concern is not my business, it is my employees. Without them, I don’t have a business. They and all the hourly employees in Massachusetts are the ones who will suffer,” Reid said. “I have told them I will do everything I can to help them financially during the closure.” He added. “The restaurant will survive no matter how long they keep me closed. The state can tell me to temporarily shutter, but they won’t drive me out of business.”
Reid’s Corner is located at 20 E. Longmeadow Rd. in Hampden, and can be reached at 566-8286.
Peter Kantos, co-owner of The Tavern in Westfield, said there was a great deal of uncertainty for not only himself but all restaurateurs.
“Nobody’s prepared for this,” he said. “I just don’t know what’s going to happen yet. I’ve been doing this all my life and no one has ever had to go through something like this before.”
Kantos said The Tavern would remain open for takeout and the restaurant would also be adding delivery to the city of Westfield, something that has never been offered before.
“We’re going to do what we can, but honestly, I’m going to have to cut back on my staff and this is going to be difficult for many people,” he said.
The Tavern is located at 2 Broad St., and can be reached at 562-0335.
Springfield’s Hot Oven Cookies explained in a post on their Instagram account that their plan is to focus on “spreading peace, joy, and happiness to our community by ‘sharing the cookie love through the comfort of a cookie,’ but in a safe manner.”
The bakery continued to explain that going forward, they will only take orders on their pre–order and checkout page on their website at hotovencookies.com, which will be for curbside or takeout pickup orders. If someone is unable to pickup, Hot Oven Cookies said they would deliver locally in Springfield.
"We, along with so many other small businesses are trying our very best to protect our Cookie Cravers, keep jobs, stay in business, and serve our greater community,” they closed.
Hot Oven Cookies is located at 1597 Main St. in Springfield. Orders can be placed at hotovencookies.com. Individuals can call the storefront with questions at 889–4099.
Arturas Ribinskas, owner of Crepes Tea House in West Springfield and Southwick, said he’d been on the phone with his management team for hours after learning of Baker’s restrictions around restaurants. He said, “obviously it’s not good news” and called Baker’s announcement “shocking news.”
First and foremost Ribinskas said he was worried as “a lot of employees rely on the salary.” And while he emphasized that their priority was that they “want healthy people,” he was also concerned as he could not “pay full salaries.”
While his team had been cleaning diligently for weeks, he said the virus had already hurt his business significantly. “We lost like 50 percent of our business in the past week,” Ribinskas said. Throughout the three-week period, he said the restaurant was hoping to be “more aggressive on delivery and takeout,” and was thinking about offering a discount for those who ordered during that time.
He added that they were also “talking about taking that time off to do renovations,” but didn’t know if that was possible as they would need money to do so. Ribinskas said delivery and takeout were not new to them as they have menus online and had “already been working tightly with GrubHub, DoorDash and Uber Eats.”
Despite the difficult times, Ribinskas is remaining positive and said “We will be creative to keep us alive, to not spread the disease.” He added, “We’re hoping people will take out [and] drive to pick up food. It’s not like it’s a ban for driving.”
Ribinskas said he’s hoping to change the perception that take-out and delivery is just made up of pizza, and continue to serve the communities of Southwick and West Springfield.
Ultimately, he said, “If we’re going to miss a couple of credit payments, it is what it is. We’ll catch up in a month or so.” In the “near future,” Ribinskas said he hopes to offer “some unemployment pay to employees.”
Crepes Tea House is located at 261 Union St. in West Springfield and 157 Feeding Hills Rd. in Southwick. The menu can be found online at https://crepesteahouse.com/west-springfield-menu/. Gift cards can also be purchased online to be used at a later date.
Jerry Moccia, the sole proprietor at b’Napoli, hadn’t begun to think about how long his business could stay afloat without being open to the public for food and drink.
“My main concern as an owner is how can I take care of my staff,” Moccia said. “What can we do and how can we help them?”
Moccia employs about 47 people between his sit-down Italian restaurant, b’Napoli, located at 185 Elm St., West Springfield, and the delivery-based Bella Napoli Pizzeria and Catering. He told Reminder Publishing that he was coming up with ways to keep his employees working, including expanding his pizzeria from six days to seven and having his staff clean the restaurant and do paperwork.
JJ’s Soft Serve also announced they would be closing their dine-in area and would only be serving food for takeout on their serving side. JJ’s, located at 336-338 North Westfield St. in Feeding Hills, said they would continue to do phone orders while the governor’s ban was in place. Their menu can be found online at https://jjssoftserve.com and orders can be placed by calling 209-9832.
Also in Feeding Hills, Partners Restaurant on 485 Springfield St, announced their intention to continue serving the community and providing for their staff. In a statement released on Facebook they said, “Our goal is to still be able to provide for our community as well as keeping our valued staff employed.”
They announced they, too, would be complying by Baker’s order and shift to a take-out only model, “where we can provide affordable meals providing curbside service.” They said for the time being the restaurant would be offering a limited to-go menu that customers would be able to order from seven days a week. The statement read, “We are going to offer prepared meals for dinner for you and your families, as well as many of your favorite breakfast and lunch meals.”
Additionally, the restaurant said they would be looking into delivery options for those who are unable to leave their homes. All of these changes, they were hoping would begin on March 17, the first day Baker’s order went into effect. They promised customers that the new menu would be posted to their website at www.partnersrestaurant.com.
Another way customers could help the restaurant during the difficult times, they said, was to buy a gift certificate. Gift certificates bought during the restaurant’s closure will only be able to be used after they reopen. Additionally, any $25 gift card bought during this time will include a free $5 gift card. The restaurant can be reached at 786-0975.
Reichelt urged West Springfield residents to order take-out to support local restaurants. He noted that calling the businesses directly will allow restaurants to receive the total amount on the bill, rather than share it with a service such as DoorDash or GrubHub.
“It’s our 40th anniversary. I knew it was going to be a special year, but I didn’t know it was going to be this kind of special,” joked Rick Grimaldi, owner of the Summer House, located at 552 College Hwy., Southwick.
Speaking more seriously, he said the new regulations posed tremendous challenges, but the plan was to remain open for takeout. “It’s going to affect us greatly. I’m thankful we are not in the busiest part of the year for us yet, but we’re getting there.”
He added, “We’re lucky that we do a large takeout business and if the weather turns warm, our dairy options are mostly takeout as well.”
The Summer House will maintain its regular hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily as long as it was financially viable and safe to do so from a public health standpoint, but staffing levels will be need to be reduced, Grimaldi admitted.
As a member of numerous restaurant organizations, he said he has been flooded with emails with suggestions on how to weather the restrictions.
“It’s a very fluid situation and everybody is finding a way through their own unique circumstances,” he said.
Grimaldi added he had yet to hear from local health officials, which may impact decisions moving forward.
“This is a very unique situation,”?he said. “Usually these things start at the federal and state level and work their way down. I wouldn’t ve shocked if we did get a visit in the near future.”
Carm’s Restaurant and Deli at 241 Route 20 in Chester, which hosted its grand opening on Jan. 27 and serves breakfast and lunch, is planning to offer takeout. Owners Erin Patrick and Aaron Allen are still formulating the full plan, and will have an announcement coming soon.
The Russell Inn, located at 65 Westfield Road in Russell, indicated they would also remain open to provide takeout service.
“The Peluso family has taken pride serving great Italian/American food to the hilltowns since 1987,” the restaurant’s statement said. “Take out & delivery will not be affected. Please come and support us as well as other restaurants during this hard time.”
The Russell Inn can be reached at 862-3608. Their website, including menu is www.russellinnrestaurant.com.
Karen Anderson from Tucker’s Restaurant said it would also turn exclusively to takeout Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and would also offer delivery on a limited basis. The regular menu will include daily specials. Typically closed on Sunday and Monday in order to host functions, the business will remain shuttered on those days.
“Functions are a big part of our business,” Anderson said. “We are going to try to reschedule as many as we can and hopefully we will be able to find another date that works for people.”
Anderson added she sees a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the entire situation and expressed concern over how it would impact employees.
“I’d imagine we may have to cut some employees,”?she said. “We’ll have to see how it all starts off and move from there. Who knows, maybe it will be booming.”
She added it has been difficult receiving guidance in preparation for these changes. “State departments are closed [March 16 and 17]. I tried to make some calls and got automated messages.”
Tucker’s Restaurant is located at 625 College Hwy, Southwick. They can be reached at 569-0120. Their menu can be accessed online at https://www.tuckersrestaurant.com.
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