(WIFR) – Buffets were mostly missing in several restaurants, hotels and events due to COVID-19. Now that restrictions are gradually easing across the state, some places are giving the buffet one more try. This time it doesn’t look like it used to.
Mary Moore is co-owner of Pizza Ranch in Roscoe. Since the COVID-19 hit in March 2020, there have been some closings and many changes to the buffet inside.
“I’ve been doing this since we opened and saying, ‘Clean hands save lives. ‘We were closed and then Governor Pritzker opened us up in July. We had plexiglass and then we had to serve everyone. After about a week we were told that it was okay for people to help themselves. Thank God for that, ”says Mary.
The last indoor dining shutdown was in October, another blow to an already tough year. I asked her if she believed there was a chance that they wouldn’t make it. A tearful Mary says, “Yes, my husband and I have filed for bankruptcy. We have never done that before. That was the hardest thing to think about. “
But the couple never gave up when the Pizza Ranch reopened in March. Buffets generally work very differently today, even in hotels. Many hotels, including the Comfort Inn in Rockford, hadn’t had a buffet in over a year. Ritu Pandulla, General Manager of Comfort Inn, said, “We are following the grab-and-go mandate set by the brand. At the factory, not everything is touched until it is in the hands of the customer. “
Ritu says it just isn’t the same without the waffle irons, trays of eggs and bacon, and the smell of toast every morning. “We understand that the gusts miss that too, especially with the kids, who were such a big draw. But you do what you have to do “
The changes serve the safety of the customer so that the buffet stays alive and thrives for years. Mary says customers must wear masks to the buffet and use the supplied hand sanitizer before they get their food. “That’s what we’re about. We don’t want this stuff going on and we don’t want to close again. This is my heart here, I have always loved this place. I love what I do, ”says Mary.
Mary tells us that business is slowly picking up as her regular customers keep coming back. She says the only hurdle they are trying to overcome is finding employees as they are short of at least 12 people. You definitely are not alone on this.
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