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Grad students Julian Geltman and Kailey Slavik savor a cold beer and the warm weather on the first day that Boston restaurants are allowed to put tables out on the sidewalks again, and Cornwall's delights in the extra business. Tovia Smith/NPR hide caption
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Grad students Julian Geltman and Kailey Slavik savor a cold beer and the warm weather on the first day that Boston restaurants are allowed to put tables out on the sidewalks again, and Cornwall's delights in the extra business.
Tovia Smith/NPRAfter a long, brutal winter, Cornwall's Tavern in Boston's Kenmore Square is finally getting what it's been waiting for. Or at least a taste of it. The first day Boston restaurants could start putting tables back out on the sidewalks, turns out to be during a stretch of sunny days of temperatures in the 60s, and the tables are full.
Harvard medical student Kailey Slavik — who steered clear of indoor dining since the pandemic started, is almost giddy now to be able to go to a restaurant again.
"It's just a treat to just catch some warm weather and have a beer outside," she says. "Like I'm just having the best beer of my life at this like cute little patio."
Just as the spring light has changed in the past few weeks, the whole vibe here has too. You now hear more chatter about who got a vaccine, than whose mother or brother is sick.
There's buzz about opening day at nearby Fenway Park, that will soon allow fans in the stands again, even if it's only 5,000 per game. And neighboring Boston University is planning a scaled back, in-person graduation.
"That's a good deal," says Cornwall's manager and bartender, Billy Moran. "That's a win for us."
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As part of Cornwall's skeletal staff, General manager Billy Moran does everything from bartending to cooking and delivering take-out. The restaurant is adding more staff now, hoping that business will pick up this spring. Tovia Smith/NPR hide caption
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As part of Cornwall's skeletal staff, General manager Billy Moran does everything from bartending to cooking and delivering take-out. The restaurant is adding more staff now, hoping that business will pick up this spring.
Tovia Smith/NPRMoran, and his brother JR, have been running the place with their aunt and uncle, Pam and John Beale, Cornwall's founders and owners. After a year of shutdowns, and strict COVID-19 rules that left the business barely hanging on, the English-style tavern is slowly returning to life.
"It's great to get some energy back," Pam says. "People come in and you can just feel it," she says before turning to greet another customer. "It's a little bit of encouragement."
Pam's also encouraged by $28.5 billion dollars in relief funds for restaurants, that's part of the recently enacted American Rescue Plan. It could mean a significant grant for a place like Cornwall's to hire more staff, pay off invoices and back rent, and maybe even start drawing a regular paycheck themselves.
"You feel like the government is now sort of starting to build a bridge to the other side for you," Pam says. "It's not like you're standing over an abyss and trying to figure out do you jump? Do you not jump? There's a bridge! And that's a big relief."
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