By: David Villareale   

As the pandemic rages on restaurant owners are trying to keep the dining experience alive. Nosh, a creative culinary restaurant in downtown Rochester, are taking precautions to keep customers safe and socially distanced. 

Following New York State guidelines and restrictions the admittance for Nosh is at 50% capacity. In March the CDC stated that gatherings of 50 or more people should not be held. Many restaurants all across the state had a mandatory two week shut down to reduce the passing of the virus from customer to customer. 

Eventually all restaurants in Rochester began to close their doors. Take out became the new way of enjoying a meal as most restaurants began to offer curbside pickup and contactless deliveries. 

Photo taken by Kate Melton 

Having to respect the new guidelines many workers who were either hosts or hostesses lost their positions at Nosh during the first month of the pandemic. Less and less positions were available at Nosh as the employee to customer interaction was non existent. 

Jackie Smythe is a hostess at Nosh. This pandemic has made it hard for her to keep a job and stay afloat. 

“Honestly it was really sad and confusing for me, I was out of work from March 14-July 17. I love working at Nosh and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to get my job back as unemployment became stressful to obtain, “ said Smythe, a hostess at Nosh.

After a five month period businesses and restaurants began to bounce back. Nosh opened its doors to the public on July 17 with respect to the guidelines that were laid out by Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

Photo taken by Kate Melton 

Nosh designed a second dining room to provide a safer socially distanced dining experience. Every customer that walks into Nosh is required to wear a face mask as a main guideline by New York State. 

“The owners, with help of our staff, have done an amazing job with making sure everything gets sanitized frequently throughout the day. Our second room offers a six feet distance between each table to keep customers safe,” Smythe said. 

Photo taken by Kate Melton 

Nosh has altered bar seating due to the six-feet distancing rule. There used to be three high tables at the bar but that has been changed for social distancing. Now Nosh have altered their bar so only two spots are available with seating for two to three people to prevent the six feet rule from being broken.

Jessica Klick of Hilton explains the changes that she has witnessed from the reopening of Nosh. 

“I felt incredibly safe there with the reduced capacity, masked staff, cleaning protocols and other safety precautions. I believe that the staff is more in jeopardy from contracting covid from unmasked patrons at the tables than patrons contracting covid from the staff,” Jessica Klick, Hilton, said. 

To keep the staff and customers safe Nosh has extra masks for customers if they forget theirs at home. Nosh have also installed multiple hands-free sanitizer stations for customer use. 

Dave Villareale, a Hilton resident and a long time customer of Nosh, discusses the atmosphere that the restaurant has created with its covid safe environment. 

“I’m happy we can go and enjoy a meal again. They are doing their best to keep it clean and safe. The food is excellent as always. I like that there are less people, it feels cozier now,” Villareale, Hilton, said.  

Many restaurants like Nosh have begun to reinvent the ways customers enjoy a meal out and are looking for alternatives to keep the public safe at all means necessary.