VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - “It’s usually slam-packed busy,” said Jamie Young.
Young is the chef at Il Giardino Ristorante.
The restaurant normally fits almost 200 people inside on its busiest nights, but the dining room at Giardino’s in Virginia Beach is almost empty Tuesday night.
“This week I’m sure we are going to see a bit of a drawback and hopefully we will see some neighbors in this weekend, but right now we are all being affected by it,” said Young.
He’s in charge of things in the kitchen and its employees. So, it’s not easy to just close the restaurant during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have multiple staff members, and we need to be able to provide for them and with their families,” he adds.
To help continue to put food on their employees’ tables and on their customers', the restaurant is now offering carryout, curbside and delivery.
“Use those restaurants! Don’t hesitate to keep going by using local restaurants,” said Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer.
Other restaurants at the Oceanfront are also offering similar services since some were forced to close their dining rooms.
Mayor Dyer and the Virginia Beach City Council were given a coronavirus update earlier Tuesday by health and safety leaders.
“We got to try and keep things as open as much as we can, but the priority is public safety,” adds Mayor Dyer.
A couple who spoke to News 3 is in town from New Jersey. They said the unfortunate virus ruined their vacation.
“We were hoping to do more! Go to the aquarium. Go out to eat. Go to the aviation museum. Nothing is open!” said Lucille Brady.
Young says their kitchen will remain open, but it’s going to take some help from the community.
“This is a first for everybody, so I think if we come together as a community and focus on the small businesses and help out the service industry,” he adds.
