Restaurants continue to struggle due to ban on indoor dining

FOX 29's Kelly Rule spoke with restaurant workers who said snow days are usually busy for them, but not this year due to restrictions on indoor dining.

PHILADELPHIA - With the cold continuing to stick around that snow and ice will stick around, too. It's yet another hurdle for restaurants trying to offer indoor dining due to current restrictions in Pennsylvania.

East Passyunk couldn't look more festive Thursday almost a week out from Christmas, but for those working along the Avenue, it hasn't been easy.

"If nobody comes in and nobody tips you, you can't live on that," Cantina Los Caballitos server and bartender Rachel Haxby said.

She adds she gets it, it's not ideal to be out, but she wouldn't have said that pre-pandemic.

"Usually, snow days themselves are pretty good because people like to come and sit at the bar and hang out with their bartender friend, but that's like not a thing this year," she explained.

It's why Jenny Kile says the chairs and tables are packed up at Lascala's Birra.

Fortunately, she says takeout and delivery did pretty well Wednesday and Thursday considering the weather.

"We're pushing gift cards pushing promotions and online ordering. We're taking every avenue that we can use that's really all you can do is just try to survive," she said.

As for restaurants that have managed to create an indoor-feel outdoors like Stogie Joe's, staff says people did come out during the snow to dine and drink in their cozy tent.

It's people in the neighborhood that keep them afloat. They just hope it continues.

"Tip better than you would in normal times because we are risking our lives to make sure you can have food and drink when we all probably should be staying home anyway," Haxby said.

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