Eateries Wait On Phase 3 Expansion

New Haven restaurants won permission to fill their indoor spaces to 75 percent capacity, but for now most are holding back.

Phase Three of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan allows for the expansion. Visits to new Haven restaurants on Reopening Day found both owners and customers in no hurry for the change.

“If we added more tables, it wouldn’t allow us to maintain social distance,” said Claire Criscuolo, owner of Claire’s Corner Copia. She pointed to potential sites, all of which would come near the register line. ​“I think we’ll keep it the way it is.”

“We might expand outdoor seating, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that indoors,” said Ryan Taylor (pictured), who’s been working at State Street’s The Coffee Pedaler for the last seven years.

Both Taylor and Criscuolo agreed that the new tables wouldn’t be necessary.

“As long as offices are closed, we’re already running at lower capacity,” said Criscuolo. ​“We’ve also expanded other sources of revenue, like takeout and family dinners.”

For coffee customers, ​“most just pick up their stuff to go,” added Ryan. ​“So we’re really only at 40 percent capacity indoors.”

“We’re going to wait and see what Covid numbers are looking like before we decide to expand,” said Paradee Weiss, a manager at Anaya Sushi. ​“Many customers like to dine in, but we have to think of our staff’s safety as well.”

“We probably wouldn’t change things. We don’t want anyone to feel unsafe, especially since people are nervous about coming in,” said Marie Despotakis, who has been working at the Pantry for six years now. Before the pandemic, the Pantry could fit 45 people but ​“now, we try to keep it less than 20.”

“There’s been an increase? I didn’t know that,” said Giuseppe Cinque, owner of Buca Trattoria. ​“If it’s 75 percent, how will we maintain distance? At that point, why not make it 100 percent?” Cinque preferred to keep the same capacity, saying the new policy was contradictory to the state’s health measures.

The owner of Crêpes Choupette, Adil Chokairy, was the only restaurateur out of seven visited Thursday who reported considering an expansion. ​“We have a place next door we can use,” said owner Adil Chokairy. ​“But I don’t think it will change much. Customers are still scared to come in.”

The Other Side

Customers – and their perceptions of safety – play a large role in the decision to expand.

“I work at a restaurant, so I feel safe eating in other ones,” said Nayeli Rodriguez, who works at Amato’s Apizza & Ristorante in Wooster Square Rodriguez came with her friend Destiny Torres to try the Pantry after hearing about it from others. They sat inside, far away from the two other tables that were occupied.

“I feel comfortable here because there’s lots of spacing out,” said Claire Timmis. Timmis was working inside the Coffee Pedaler shop as she sipped her latte. It was her first time dining indoors since the pandemic began, she said.

If restaurants begin to reach 75 percent capacity, she ​“probably wouldn’t come.” 

“I know we’re not back to normal yet, but it gives me peace of mind to do this,” said Kenyatta Holloway (pictured), who was digging into a plate of teriyaki at Anaya’s Sushi. This was the first time he has dined indoors since the pandemic. ​“I just want to enjoy the break we have before the next wave,” he said. Even with an increase in density, Holloway said, he’d ​“probably go back.”

Clay Thames and Ellie Gabriel, undergraduates at Yale, seemed unfazed by the possibility of more crowded restaurants. Sitting inside the Coffee Pedaler, they mentioned that this wasn’t their first time dining indoors. ​“I trust that if people were exhibiting symptoms or tested positive, they wouldn’t be out here,” said Thames.

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it,” said Luisa Graden (pictured), a recent Yale grad who ordered a hazelnut latte and banana cupcake at Claire’s. ​“Claire’s has been the only place I eat indoors. They care about the community: they’re taking it seriously, and even have a ventilation system.”

For some, the increase allowances for indoor dining didn’t matter.

Katy Webb sat outside of Crepes Choupette on Whitney, waiting for a colleague. ​“I’ve eaten indoors before with my family, usually at breakfast time when it’s quiet,” she said. ​“But that was with my quarantine pod. Since I’m meeting a colleague, I want to be outdoors.”

“Restaurants just aren’t as cozy or comfortable anymore,” said Stefan, who was sitting with his friend Ana outside the Pantry. (Both declined to give their last names.) ​“It feels happier to be outside.”

“There’s no need to sit inside, and being outside is lower risk,” said a customer sitting outside of Marjolaine Pastry Shop with her coffee.

The woman spoke decisively: ​“Until the pandemic’s over, I won’t be eating indoors.”