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As the state prepares to loosen gathering restrictions, restaurants across Berkshire County are eyeing the future with wary optimism. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that he would remove the cap that has been in place since indoor dining restarted last year. The state’s capacity limit has fluctuated from 25 to 50 percent as COVID-19 levels rose and fell, while Pittsfield enacted a complete ban for more than a month after a transmission spike last year. The rollbacks go into effect Monday. Restaurant owners point out, though, that ongoing 6-foot distancing guidelines will keep most ...

PITTSFIELD — Luke Marion succinctly summed up what Berkshire restaurant owners are facing as they head into the winter season. “It’s been hairy out there,” said the owner of Otto’s Kitchen & Comfort on East Street. It’s not hard to see why. While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a big chunk of income from local restaurant owners this year, the recent surge of the virus in Massachusetts has caused Gov. Charlie Baker to impose restrictions on state eateries that went into effect Dec. 13. The guidelines include a 90-minute ban on sit-down dining; dropping the maximum...