Page 30 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2021

FEATURE
Post-COVID
Bardea Food & Drink, Wilmington
Ciro Poppiti III
Hospitality
The pandemic is changing how we eat, drink and travel
May 21, 2021 was “VC Day” in Delaware — that is, a date to mark our victory over COVID-19. With the 28th and 29th modification to the original State of Emergency order, Gov. John Carney awakened us from our pandemic sheltering by easing social distancing requirements and removing the state’s mask mandate.1
Equally important, capacity restric- tions on most businesses were elimi- nated, including those for restau-
rants and other hospitality venues. With a collective sense of relief, Delawareans spent this summer returning to the fre- netic pace of lifestyles we once called routine.
After VC Day, what will the routine be for the tourism and hospitality indus- try in Delaware? This article examines trends and tensions in the industry, in- cluding restaurants, hotels and travel in general.
I. Economic Impact
We cannot celebrate VC Day with- out remembering the pain and loss that the pandemic wrought. As of this writing, nearly 1,700 Delawareans have died due to COVID-19; thousands more have suffered from the damaging effects of the virus. From an economic standpoint, the tourism and hospitality
industry was especially hard hit. Res- taurants across the state were forced to close permanently, including longtime favorites such as Cheese Chalet (44 years in business) in Pike Creek; Joe’s Crab Shack (17 years) on the Wilming- ton Riverfront; and Gilligan’s Bar & Grill (18 years) in Milton.2 According to the Delaware Restaurant Association, local restaurants lost more than $1.2 billion in revenues during the first full year of the pandemic due to COVID restrictions.3
II. Home Delivery from Your Local Liquor Store
This has been a crazy summer.4 With our long hibernation over, Delawar- eans have rushed back to their favorite haunts.5 Now the question turns on whether we will simply return to our pre-pandemic schedule or nestle into newfound pleasures of staying at home. (Continued on page 26)
28 DELAWARE LAWYER SUMMER 2021
SAQUAN STIMPSON