The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Chris’ uses shutdown to give eatery a spruce up
For over 50years, restaurateur Dolores Manofski, 78, and her late husband, Chris Manofski, served smiles, meals.
“We didn’t know we were that well liked. My husband always said we had the best customers. People have said they’re grateful that we’re back.”
— Dolores Manofski, owner of Chris’ Restaurant on the Lake
For over 50 years, restaurateur Dolores Manofski, 78, and her late husband, Chris Manofski, have brought homemade, quality cooked meals to the Lorain County community.
The family restaurant, Chris’ Restaurant on the Lake, 2812 W. Erie Ave in Lorain, has served up smiles and meals for decades.
Recently, the business saw a bit of a struggle.
Due to COVID-19, the restaurant was forced to close its doors from May 15 until July 27 because of not being able to offer dine-in seating.
During the spring, the restaurant was considered an essential business and was able to operate with to-go orders.
While takeout was available, Manofski said the sales were good but just not enough to support the staff.
“It was heartbreaking,” she said. “It hurt us, and the customers.”
With ample time to make changes at the restaurant, Manofski said she and her team got to work and gave the business a new look.
The 25-year- old wallpaper was stripped away, plexiglass was installed as a barrier between staff and customers and each booth features a wooden divider.
Manofski said the work wouldn’t have gotten done without her right-hand man and manager Pepi Danailovski, 57.
“When we were at home not working; it didn’t feel right,” Danailovski said. “I would get up, watch TV, maybe get some lunch; but it wasn’t my daily routine.”
While the restaurant wasn’t operating, he said he often thought about the customers and if he’d ever see them again.
“We get a lot of elderly customers,” Danailovski said. “We’d see them every day.
“I wondered who was going to come back.”
While facing the struggle of being closed, Manofski said the business also lost quite a few employees because of the pandemic.
Some of her staff had to leave due to personal issues as a direct result of COVID-19.
“We’re still looking for servers,” she said. “We have enough to be open again, but we didn’t have enough at first.”
The absence of normality seemed to strike everyone in the restaurant, Manofski said, including cooks and best friends, Sam Breeding, 23, and Manofski’s grandson and Pepi Danailovski’s son, Phillip Danailovski, 24.
“It was wild, just a very different time at first,” said Phillip Danailovski. “Just doing to-go orders was weird; you didn’t have that interaction.”
When Chris’ was closed, the restaurant workers received phone calls daily from guests inquiring when they’d be open again, he said.
“It was nice to hear that they cared,” Phillip Danailovski said.
Breeding said it felt nice to be missed and appreciated.
“It [business] started to pick back up and people were happy to come in,” he said “It was nice to hear they care.”
The restaurant is operating at 50% capacity from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
Breeding and Phillip Danailovski said the homemade chicken Paprikash, Lake Erie perch dinner and pork chops remain customer favorites.
As for Manofski, she’s thankful to return to doing what she loves.
“We didn’t know we were that well liked,” she said. “My husband always said we had the best customers. People have said they’re grateful that we’re back.”