MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — It's business as usual inside Hickory Valley Farm Restaurant near Tannersville, only at half capacity.
Owner Robert Grimaldi decided to keep indoor dining an option for his customers.
"We are still doing 50 percent. We are doing anything the customers want. If they want to sit in their car and have me bring it to them, I will. I don't want anyone who is uncomfortable; please stay home, call it in, and I'll bring it out to you. We will do anything to make our customers comfortable. We have our sanitation in place. We are professionals. We have been doing sanitation long before this happened," said Grimaldi.
Governor Tom Wolf announced new statewide pandemic restrictions on Thursday, shutting down indoor dining, gyms, theaters, and school-related extracurricular activities until January 4.
Grimaldi says his staff asked to stay open, and he couldn't leave them without a paycheck so close to the holiday.
"In March, we closed for 10 solid weeks. We shut it down. I shut it down and paid some of my people that couldn't go on unemployment because they weren't employed long enough; I paid them out of my pocket. We are not doing it again because it's not right. Go to the Crossings; they are packed. Go to Walmart; they are packed. Lowe's; elbow to elbow. Don't tell me I'm giving people a disease when we know how to clean," said Grimaldi.
The Cinder Inn is also open for business. The owner is utilizing this outdoor patio space, but she's open to letting customers sit inside if need be.
"We are trying not to push the envelope with the indoor seating because I don't want to be greedy. We do have a lot of outdoor seating, and we are lucky to have that," owner Veronica Murray said.
Murray recently installed domes outdoors for families to dine in. She says there's so much uncertainty these days and wants to do what's best for her business and employees who want to work.
"January 4, I mean, that might not happen. If we close now, will we really be able to open on January 4? I think that's part of what people need to understand. It's not guaranteed that we are going to open on January 4, and there are no funds out there for us right now. We gotta do what we gotta do," said Murray.
Business owners Newswatch 16 spoke to say they aren't staying open to be rebellious, rather just trying to make a living during these unprecedented times.