Philadelphia restaurant offers free holiday gift wrapping during happy hour

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA - As the coronavirus continues to put a strain on the restaurant business, owners and employees have been forced to come up with creative ways to draw business during the pandemic. 

With the holiday season in full swing and indoor dining across Pennsylvania banned for three weeks starting Saturday, ingenuity will need to continue. One Northeast Philadelphia restaurant thought to blend a holiday nuisance with one of their most popular times of the day.

Angie Jacovini, manager at the Red Rooster Inn, came up with an idea to wrap patrons holiday gifts as they eat and drink in their heated outdoor seating area. They plan to continue to wrap presents for customers as long as the winter weather permits.

"We're going into Christmas season, these people are losing income, they're losing tips, they're figuring out how to support their families with the loss of income and there's little-to-no help for them," one patron said.

On a pre-pandemic holiday season, Jacovini said the Red Rooster Inn would be hosting crowded happy hours and several holiday parties. Now, she and many others are just wondering how to make it through the winter. 

____

For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.

DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP

Sign up for emails from FOX 29, including our daily Good Day Digest