How Two Fine Dining Restaurants Were Reshaped By COVID-19 | Eater

"For seven years this Staunton, Virginia tasting-menu restaurant married the chef’s Jewish roots with Southern, Appalachian-sourced ingredients, earning praise for visually driven, complex dishes such as seared redfish with smoked greens, grilled purple cauliflower, and fried sunchoke chips. The pandemic forced a shutdown, major staff layoffs, and a rushed pivot to takeout staples (burgers, pot stickers, smashburgers) that brought volume but not pre-pandemic revenue; a COVID scare and staffing losses deepened the crisis. Supported in part by relief funds, the operation later returned with a lighter schedule (three nights a week), reduced seating, prix-fixe menus and optional wine pairings, higher wages for tipped workers, and a focus on sustainability, mental-health-aware labor practices, and stronger ties to local farmers and the town’s tourism pipeline." - Sara Sheridan