By Matthew Broderick
Like many restaurateurs in Connecticut and across the country, the past year has been a near endless struggle for Chip Kohn, owner of West Hartford’s Beachland Tavern, Beachland Smoke and Rockledge Grille.
As capacity limits dropped over the past year while expenses for government-required safety measures rose, the calculus of Kohn’s focus shifted from worrying about profits to simply minimizing his financial losses.
“Even with takeout orders increasing significantly, [business] was nowhere near where we were pre-pandemic,” he said. “It’s not a sustainable business model.”
Even as signs of optimism emerge in Connecticut with vaccination levels increasing and Gov. Ned Lamont scheduled to lift all capacity restrictions on May 19, the past 12 months have been devastating for the state’s restaurant industry.