VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The spring and early summer seasons have hit the service industry hard -- and during a time when they usually see an influx of business.
That influx normally includes a summer restaurant week in downtown Norfolk. Empty tables are rare and vacant bar stools hard to come by. This year those will be a necessity while businesses also try to maintain social distancing. Freemason Abbey Restaurant General Manager Colleen Jones, however, hopes for a certain form of normalcy.
"It will feel a little more normal, but for restaurant week it won't, so far as business levels go, we expect to be busier," Jones said.
Now, well into Phase 3, she sees customers re-emerging.
"It's been getting better every week, people are getting more comfortable going out," Jones explained regarding business since Freemason Abbey reopened in early June.
While it may not be normal, restaurant week may provide some relief to an industry that needs it most.