The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Red Creek Bar and Grill opens its patio, rain or shine
Restaurant patios were reopened to the public May 15.
Their temporary closures were part of an ongoing effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. While takeout and delivery options were available for many restaurants, the communal aspect of sitting down with friends and family over a meal has been missing from many establishments.
Painesville Township’s Red Creek Bar and Grill 1820 North Ridge Road, was eager to rekindle their connection with the community. Manager Nick Raischel and staff were out early the morning of May 15 erecting a large tent pavilion in anticipation. Red Creek already has an attached patio but the tent was put in place to accommodate any additional guests.
The social interaction was as welcome by their patrons as it was the staff.
“We miss seeing the people,” Raischel said. “We’ve got our regulars. Everybody calls this their ‘Cheers.’ We’ve got our people that we’re used to seeing. It’s been six or eight weeks since we’ve seen them. We get text messages from them but it’s not the same. A lot of our people know each other. This is a small community.”
For a pair of guests from Perry and Painesville they
were eager to get out of the house and upgrade from the fast food they had been frequenting. “We’ve been to Mr. Hero like seven times this month already. It’s nice to finally sit down with real food,” the Painesville patron said. “It would be nice to be able to go inside, but this is better than nothing.”
Adaptability has seen Red Creek through the uncertainty surrounding the social distancing restrictions.
“It has been a lot of work and adjustments. Every day is a new challenge, but so far so good. The community has been great with us. We’ve stayed steady throughout all of this. There are good people out here. We’re just trying to adapt and be there for people as everyone has to deal with all of this. It’s tough, but we’re making it happen.”
Red Creek is looking forward to semblance of normalcy but Raischel understands the new situation we all find ourselves in. “I don’t think we’ll ever go back to hundred percent like it was but this is as close as we can.”