Downtown Hartford restaurants struggle to stay afloat

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    Hartford, CT (WFSB) — Downtown Hartford restaurants said they’re struggling to stay afloat.

Limited dining has put a damper on sales and people working from home is hurting their pockets even more.

Dish Bar and Grill is usually busy for happy hour around 4:30 p.m. on a Friday. However, the doors were locked and the lights are off.

Dish is closed for good and other restaurants fear the same will happen to them.

“Getting the folks back downtown is our biggest issue,” said Michael Pitocco, general manager, Trumbull Kitchen.

Trumbull Kitchen on Trumbull Street in Hartford thrives off of people coming in for lunch from nearby offices.

However, people have been working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That’s our toughest issue right now,” Oitocco said. “Cityplace is right across the street. They’re at 12 to 15 percent capacity.”

Managers told Channel 3 that since entertainment venues were closed and some people were still afraid to eat indoors, they’ve been taking what they can get.

“You set the bar a lot lower,” said Jimmy Cosgrove, Salute Restaurant. “You’re just hoping to do 50 percent of what you did previously. And you cuts costs everywhere you can.”

Salute Restaurant is also on Trumbull Street.

Cosgrove said they’ve been doing fine since he reopened last month, but he’s worried about the competition.

“Basically there are only a couple of restaurants that are open,” he said. “You go to the suburbs and you drive a block or walk a block and there’s a restaurant overflowing. And I don’t think we’re going to have that in Hartford for quite a while.”

Some of that competition is Max Downtown.

Owner Stephen Abrams told Channel 3 they plan to reopen on Sept. 15.

He said outdoor dining wasn’t possible and there hasn’t been enough business downtown for them to break even for indoor dining.

Pitocco is remaining positive throughout the financial storm and hoping this winter, customers will feel comfortable enough to come inside for dinner.

“Hartford is slowly getting its feet back under itself and more people are coming back,” he said. “We’re seeing more of our regulars. Every week is getting better for us. We just hope to keep that going.”

Bar reopenings are still on hold.

Managers said they hope that happens soon, along with increased capacity.

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