Attleboro area restaurants eager to start serving outdoors

John Morin, who runs Morin’s Hometown Bar & Grill in the center of Attleboro, said Thursday the diner’s faithful patrons are already lining up to come back.

“I have people calling my personal cellphone asking for reservations already,” he said.

Morin’s has been a center for political events as well as family celebrations and big breakfasts for over a century, and John Morin said the last couple of months have been difficult.

“It’s been hard, mostly on our employees. We had to lay off a ton,” he said.

And while some workers have been brought back to help with the restaurant’s takeout business, Morin’s said “we are not even close to normal.”

Morin’s, like other area eateries, was forced to close its dining areas and bar in mid-March under orders from Gov. Charlie Baker, who was responding to the coronavirus threat.

Restaurants were limited to takeout and delivery only. Under phase two of the state’s gradual reopening plan for businesses, restaurants would be able to serve customers on patios or sidewalk spaces. Baker’s administration has said an announcement of the start of phase two could come as early as Saturday.

“We are hopeful,” Morin said. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Under the state’s reopening rules, tables will need to be spaced 6 feet apart with a maximum party size of six people. Utensils and menus must be kept clean through single use or with strict sanitation guidelines. Reservations or call-ahead seating is recommended and contact-less payment, mobile ordering, or text on arrival for seating will also be encouraged.

Morin’s this week set up four tables and umbrellas on its patio on South Main Street and will be erecting a tent in the restaurant parking lot to accommodate a larger crowd.

“The fire department came down to make sure we were doing it properly,” Morin said. “We’ll get it spaced out (Friday).”

The Havana Cafe in North Attleboro, which has built a reputation for authentic Cuban food, had a lively takeout business even before the pandemic, owner Maraisol Santillaan said.

The inside dining room on North Washington Street only held eight tables, but now, Santillaan says, they will be setting up for patio dining.

“We’ll have seating outside,” she said. “That’s good for our restaurant.”

“Before this we had a lot of takeout, so no complaints,” Santillaan said, but added the shutdown has hurt business.

“We have to pay the rent and bills. It’s a big problem for everybody,” she said.

More than 90 percent of restaurants in Massachusetts were forced to lay off or furlough workers as sales dropped by at least 81 percent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

Through a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association in April, the MRA found that 93 percent of restaurant operators cut staff in their establishments. The average reduction in staff was by 87 percent, the association said.

In total, more than 211,000 restaurant employees were laid off or furloughed in Massachusetts. By comparison, 261,000 employees were working within the state at restaurants and bars in February.

The staff cuts came as 96 percent of restaurants in the state said they experienced a decline in sales. The loss on average was by more than 80 percent.