Boston Restaurants Struggle To Survive The Pandemic

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Cornwall's Tavern's owners Pam and John Beale are in survival mode. They're thinking a short-term pause in business, as COVID-19 infections surge, could allow them to reopen strong next year. Tovia Smith/NPR hide caption

Cornwall's Tavern's owners Pam and John Beale are in survival mode. They're thinking a short-term pause in business, as COVID-19 infections surge, could allow them to reopen strong next year.

This time of year, Cornwall's Tavern in Boston would usually be booked with back-to-back Christmas parties and packed with college students celebrating the holidays.

Instead, John Beale, who owns the place with his wife, Pam, sits in the back, reading the newspaper, as Christmas music wafts down on the one lone customer having lunch. When a second customer shows up, John turns to welcome him, waving his arm at the empty space. "You can sit anywhere you want," John offers.

It's anything but a usual season.

"We did decorate a little bit, [and we] put wreaths out the front door so people would know we were open," Pam says. "But there's just not a lot of people around here and not a lot to celebrate at the moment."

The Coronavirus Crisis Boston Tavern Pivots To 'Plan B' To Try To Survive The Pandemic

As many as 1 in 4 restaurants in Massachusetts have gone out of business amid the pandemic, and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association saysmany more are likely as the current spike in COVID-19 cases prompts more restrictions on indoor dining. The economic casualties are even greater in Boston, which is bereft of commuters and out-of-towners and where Cornwall's is among the many trying to hang on through what's shaping up to be its toughest season yet.

The business has taken one hit after another. After straining for months with just half its seating, no bar and a strict curfew, Cornwall's sales were hovering around half what they used to be. When an even earlier curfew was imposed last month, sales nosedived even further. Then, just last week, the state tightened rules even more, dropping the restaurant to about a third of its normal business this time of year.

"It's like water torture, it's like drop by drop by drop," sighs Pam. "How do you plan?"

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At Cornwall's Tavern in Boston, business slows as the pandemic surges, and Massachusetts imposes more rules and restrictions on indoor dining. Tovia Smith/NPR hide caption

At Cornwall's Tavern in Boston, business slows as the pandemic surges, and Massachusetts imposes more rules and restrictions on indoor dining.

It's a constant worry

The latest order from the state limits tables to just six people — from the same household. Diners are not allowed to stay longer than 90 minutes, and they have to keep their masks on even while they're seated, flipping them up and down each time they take a sip or a bite.

"It's making it more awkward, more difficult and people are sort of chaffing against all the rules," Pam says. "But our fear is that there's more to come. You wonder what the next restrictions are going to be."

Many health experts say the state has not gone far enough. They're calling for an all-out ban on indoor dining, saying it's the only way to stop the spread of the virus indoors and curb the exponential growth in infections.