Pivotal time for restaurants in greater Lakewood Ranch area

Sarasota’s Ashley Sherman and Lakewood Ranch’s Ed Cunningham sat at separate tables 6 feet apart as they waited for lunch May 4 at Fast N Fresh on Lakewood Main Street.

The men, both in their 70s, had finished playing tennis at the Lakewood Ranch Athletic Center, and they had plenty to talk about, even if they were not sitting at the same table.

“We’re doing this, but we’re respectful of the fact we’re vulnerable,” Cunningham said. “We try to be safe. I love being out here.”

The men said they were glad the state eased restrictions on restaurants starting May 4, which

allows them to open indoor seating at 25% capacity. Seating outdoors is unlimited, except that tables must follow social distancing guidelines of being at least 6 feet apart. Sherman and Cunningham opted to eat outside.

Lakewood Ranch’s Lauren Lauman and Krista Rapa, who met for a late lunch at Grove, said they felt comfortable.

“If we can go to Walmart and Publix, why not be able to go to a restaurant?” Lauman said as she enjoyed her first meal — a cheeseburger with fries — out in a month.

Since March 20, restaurants have been restricted to takeout and delivery only. Many have modified hours of operation or closed temporarily to account for the lack of business.

Now restaurateurs hope to bring back employees as quickly as possible, but doing so largely will depend on volume.

“We know there’s a market for what we do, but are enough people going to come back?” said Nancy Krohngold, proprietor of Nancy’s Bar-B-Q. “You’ve got all these fixed costs. Many of us are going to say, is there enough money left to sustain us?

“The model of how restaurants operate is going to have to change for them to survive,” Krohngold said. “This is unchartered territory for all of us. It’s like we had an earthquake, but we’re still sustaining aftershocks. Every single day, the ground beneath your feet is shifting.”

At The Granary, co-owner Karen Ronney said that before the pandemic, takeout only accounted for 10% of business. Now she is considering ways to deliver food, such as by using third-party providers.

She said the restaurant will open under the 25% capacity rule May 8. She and her husband, Malcolm, had shifted their business to Friday to Sunday only for carryout and will expand their hours to Wednesday to Sunday. Being closed two days per week will help keep costs down and also accommodate staffing limitations; many employees are unable to return to work because they do not have child care.

Gary Fennessy, owner of Main Street Trattoria, said he has done more takeout than ever and expects that trend to continue. He plans to convert nearly half of his restaurant into a fresh market, offering prepared meals to go, pasta, sauces and other items.

“Things are never going to be the same,” said Fennessy, who had to lay off 40 of his 43 employees. “I think you’re going to see a drastic change.”

Linger Lodge restaurant’s general manager, Rita Lewis, said the venue reopens May 8 and also is capitalizing on outdoor space, adding picnic tables near the Braden River. She plans to launch a summer picnic menu — a limited menu specifically for takeout.

Greg Campbell, director of operations and executive chef for Grove, said it’s difficult to plan for the unknown. Grove is capitalizing on outdoor dining space by converting the patio area under its portico for seating to help create more space for customers under social distancing guidelines.

Campbell said Mother’s Day, normally stacked with reservations, will be a telling day.

“That definitely will be a true showing of how you operate at 25% capacity,” Campbell said.

Patrick Moore, managing partner for Lucky Pelican, said the restaurant normally has 32 full-time employees, and most had applied for unemployment while the restaurant was shut down since March 20. Only two have successfully received unemployment.

Moore said Lucky Pelican reopened this week with only a limited takeout menu. It is not yet opening indoor seating. 

He plans to use the federal Payroll Protection Plan program to rehire all of his 32 full-time employees but initially will start with about 10.