If you’re planning to head out for a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant anytime soon, be sure to make a reservation.
After a difficult 2020, Vero restaurateurs are celebrating a great first quarter of 2021, with many reporting record-breaking numbers. And many chefs and owners expect the good times to keep rolling into the summer as snowbirds extend their stays and new residents flock in from locales hit hard by the pandemic.
“It’s been one of the busiest seasons we’ve ever had,” said Scampi Grill’s chef-owner, Alessandro Amelio. “I think it has mostly to do with an influx of northerners coming down and staying for a longer period of time.”
By expanding outdoor seating at Scampi, Amelio has been able to continue serving the same number of diners as he did before the pandemic while maintaining social distancing inside the restaurant.
“A lot of customers who come in never thought about dining outside. Because of the pandemic, they’ve ventured out a little bit and now they think dining outside is awesome,” Amelio said.
“Our numbers have been considerably better than 2019,” said Citron Bistro owner Jay McLaughlin. So much so that he has begun to rely on Open Table to keep up with reservations. As at Scampi, Citron has expanded outdoor seating to handle the dinner rush.
McLaughlin doesn’t expect things to slow anytime soon: “People are less anxious to get back north,” he said. “They learned from the time they spent down here last year because of the pandemic how special Vero can be with an extended season.”
“It’s been very busy, and it’s not looking like it’s going to stop anytime soon,” agreed Di Mare chef-owner Jean Zana, adding that his patio is booked every night. “It’s busier this year than it used to be before the pandemic. We’re seeing a lot of new people we haven’t seen before.”
“I’ve never been busier,” said The Tides chef-owner Leanne Kelleher, noting that she’s sold out for the next three weeks.
“We are open to the fullest capacity that we feel we can provide a safe and comfortable environment without sacrificing quality,” added Kelleher, who has decided to continue providing to-go service along with dine-in.
“I feel obliged to do to-go service because when we weren’t operating, to-go’s saved us. I don’t want to turn my back on those people because they supported us when we really needed it.”
At Citrus, chef-owner Scott Varricchio continues to cap seating at 50 percent occupancy and has been booked within those limits. “The first quarter went as well as I allowed it to,” Varricchio said. “I don’t see myself going full tilt until we get an all-clear from the government.”
As more and more people get vaccinated, Varricchio said he is seeing people he hasn’t seen in many months. He added that Easter Sunday “was the first time in a year that families went out together on a holiday. I had a lot of big tables, socially distanced.”
Another plus for Citrus: “If I compare my check average from seven months ago, it’s considerably higher now,” Varricchio said. “People are spending money on the bigger steak, the more expensive bourbon or bottle of wine.”
“There’s still a high demand for al fresco,” says Andrea Mears, Maison Martinique consultant. “I just hope that this momentum that has started continues.”
Maison Martinique took advantage of the pandemic shutdown to update the restaurant’s interior and bring on two new chefs with plans to expand services by adding breakfast, brunch, and lunch.
Pomodoro Grill head chef Amadeo Amelio says he’s back to about 70 percent capacity, counting indoor and outdoor seating, and he’s looking to expand outdoor seating to compensate for social distancing inside the restaurant and accommodate more customers.
Like Kelleher at The Tides, Amelio plans to continue delivery service, keeping in place third-party services like DoorDash and Grubhub. “We’re able to reach different demographics where some of those people had never heard of us,” he said. “It’s really helped out.”
“We are able to do as much business as we can handle,” said Dario Bordoli, proprietor of Trattoria Dario, noting that his bar is getting busy again, too.
Chill & Grill chef-owner Scott Birch said his restaurant is nearly back on par with prior years.
The number of folks coming in and those ordering to-go are helping him bridge the pandemic gap and get back to a normal revenue stream.
Roger Lenzi, Vero Prime owner, said he too is nearly on par with pre-pandemic numbers. “People we haven’t seen in a while have gotten vaccinated, and they’re coming back in. They’re really happy. It’s nice seeing them again.”
The number of patrons continues to increase at the Ocean Grill, according to general manager Joey Replogle, who is helping keep the restaurant busy by continuing to take reservations for small parties as well as large ones, something he didn’t do before the pandemic.
“A lot of people are expressing that they don’t want to come in unless they have a reservation,” Replogle said, noting those people are comfortable coming out for dinner don’t want to wait in a crowded reception area.
With an influx of new people moving into the area and seasonal residents in no hurry to head to their northern homes, restaurateurs don’t expect summer doldrums anytime soon.
“A lot of my New York chef friends are still struggling and wondering if they’re going to make it at all,” said Varricchio. “As a community and as a business, we are going to make out better than other parts of the country. In my heart of hearts, I believe that, and a lot of my chef friends in other cities believe that as well.”
Photos by Brenda Ahearn
