LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Staff at Sanderson Street Tavern in Throop are getting ready for the last hurrah — the final few hours before Gov. Wolf's ban on indoor dining kicks in. But they've learned a thing or two from the first time this happened. Number one: don't let the alcohol go to waste.
"When we closed for COVID, we ended up losing a lot of the food and the booze because it expires sooner, but now that we expected it and know what we need to do, we were able to put stuff on special," Becca Abdul Saleem said.
The restaurant posted on social media, "Our loss is your gain, all bottles, and drafts on special until we shut our doors for indoor service."
Another thing many restaurant owners learned from the spring shutdown is that they can't survive from takeout alone. That's why Alexander's Family Restaurant in Mayfield is rolling out delivery service, something the business has never done before.
"We're trying to utilize our service staff so we can keep them employed, so our servers, probably some of our bus personnel, and kitchen staff will be implemented in answering the phones, packing orders, and delivery service," owner Alexander Wanas said.
Outdoor dining is still allowed in Pennsylvania. Alexander's did have a tent in the parking lot during the summer, but the owner says now that it's cold out, it just wouldn't be worth it.
"We went down this route once before. We weathered it, but we're in a different season now, so it's going to be a whole different ballgame," Wanas said.
At Cangiano's in Dickson City, owner Joey Kotowski says he's lucky that the majority of his business is takeout anyway. So he decided now is as good a time as any to give back. Cangiano's is offering 50% off to anyone who works in the restaurant industry.
"A couple of months ago, we had a car crash through here, and all the other businesses helped me out. So I just figured it's good to give back. Let's help everybody as best we can. We're all in this mess together," Kotowski said.
That's a message that all the business owners we talked to stressed: we're all in this together.