Danbury Area Restaurant Owners Speak Out on COVID Restrictions

When I spoke with Tom Devine, co-owner of Two Steps Downtown Grille in Danbury, he told me his "big bar business" disappeared when COVID hit.

According to the website binwise.com, the average profit margin for a bar that's part of a restaurant is 7 to 10%. If a restaurant's bar business vanishes, it's going to spell financial trouble.

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Hearst Connecticut Media checked in with Jeffrey Taibe, the owner of Taproot in Bethel, to ask about the easing of COVID restrictions on restaurants in Connecticut. Taibe said;

I think it's a big smokescreen. It does nothing for anybody.

Taibe added that even though capacity restrictions were lifted, tables still have to be socially distanced, which means capacity won't change much even at 100% capacity. Tom Devine, owner of Two-Steps agreed with Taibe, saying that he will not see a change in the number of patrons for indoor dining.

Devine did say he's optimistic because of the volume of takeout on St. Patrick's Day, and he's seeing more customers dining indoors.

On Friday, April 2, 2021, outdoor amusement parks can open and outdoor event venues can increase capacity to 50%, capped at 10,000 people.

As the weather gets warmer, some of greater Danbury's restaurants will reopen for outdoor dining, so I checked with Connecticut Magazine's 2021 Best Restaurant issue where you can find the best restaurants according to the food experts and CT Magazine readers.

They've also included a category titled "Best Outdoor Dining" and some of the Greater Danbury restaurants included in that category are The White Horse (New Preston), Centrico (Bethel), Mix Prime (Woodbury), and Nouveau Monde (Sandy Hook). To check out the entire article, click on connecticutmag.com