Vic Christopher, owner, Clark House Hospitality, Troy

Troy business owner Vic Christopher has not been shy about rebranding operations, talking to media and tweeting his intentions to build one-table dining rooms on the upper floors of Peck’s Arcade for contactless, family-style dining. Food ordered in advance will be set up in glass-walled dining rooms connected by an open corridor, each with hand-washing stations inside. The glass will lend a feeling of dining out while offering more protection. He sees it as better than servers in “creepy gloves and masks” and the best way to make diners feel comfortable dining in.

With the March shutdown, Christopher streamlined his multibrand compound into a centralized takeout and delivery business with online ordering and two catering contracts to soften the financial hit. But finding he could not compete with unemployment benefits to rehire furloughed staff as part of the federal PPP loan-forgiveness program, he pivoted to bring back dishwashers and bar staff as contractors. I spoke with him about his dining expansion plans and bringing his wine-and-dine brands under the Clark House umbrella.

“People want food and they want space, and we’re in a unique position to offer it,” he said. “The ideas for the upper floors were always there, but there was no urgency, no reason to do them. I’ve been collecting sheet glass for years; we had the architectural plans drawn up seven years ago. It’s only now I’m focused and acting on them.”

In Christopher’s new model, the interconnected rooms of the Clark House building — home to Peck’s Arcade, the Lucas Confectionery and garden, Little Pecks, The Grocery, Tavern Bar and library — will retain individual food and beverage menus, including a revival of Donna’s Italian and pizza thanks to a newly installed oven. There may be weekly specials like the current Donna’s Aperitivo delivery package and a Peck’s Arcade fine-dining menu on Friday and Saturday nights. But identities will blur in the use of shared space. In the Confectionery garden, planters previously lining the walls will be used to define flow and create distance between tables. Customers can order in each business but take food or drinks anywhere in the compound, while the new upper dining rooms will be by reservation only.

Christopher said: “Peck’s used to seat 50 people in one room. Now we’ll have 10 individual dining rooms each serving a table of, say, five. Could be more or less. We’ll serve the same number of people, just more safely.” Cross-trained staff will be paid a flat hourly rate while sharing pooled tips. Clark House Hospitality, managed by Christopher, General Manager Paula Patterson and chef Zoë Krumanocker, will continue to run the familiar Troy brands.

Susie Davidson Powell is a British freelance food writer in upstate New York. Follow her on Twitter, @Susiedp.