Coronavirus Latest: Suburban Restaurants Taking Hit From COVID-19 Pandemic, But 'Keeping Our Heads Above Water'
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (CBS) -- Face-to-face service is a thing of the past during the coronavirus pandemic, and that includes many restaurants. On Fayette Avenue in downtown Conshohocken, Flanigan's Boathouse is still open, but people aren't allowed inside -- you can order online or call and they'll bring the food to your car.
"We did a nice amount of takeout before, but this is out of control so we really had to learn how to do it and do it right," Flanigan's Boathouse owner Jaime Weber said.
Flanigan's Boathouse was forced to think on the fly on how to stay afloat during a worldwide pandemic. Signs on the door tell customers not to come in. Instead, Weber says they'll bring your food and beer to you.
"People are scared right now so we're trying to limit as much touching and everything they don't want to do anymore," Weber said.
To limit face-to-face contact, ShopRite has installed glass shields at its stores. The shields are installed at cash registers, pharmacies, customer service areas and food service stations.
Because of Gov. Tom Wolf's directive that only life-sustaining businesses could remain open, many of the stores at the King of Prussia Town Center were forced to close.
Many of the stores that remain open are operating on modified schedules.
Back in Conshohocken, Andy Silvestrini -- owner of Capp's Deli -- says business has taken a hit over the past two weeks.
"The majority of our customer base is blue-collar, construction type workers so this week has definitely been slower," he said.
Silvestrini says to accommodate customers who are forced to stay home, they've extended their delivery hours.
"We're keeping our heads above water. It's not too bad. It could be a lot worse," Silvestrini said.
Many of the businesses who spoke with CBS3 echoed that sentiment that it could be a lot worse, saying we're all in this together.
Wolf hasn't said how long the order will stay in place.
