When life gives him lemons, Val Capobianco of Brazi’s Italian Restaurant on Long Wharf makes limoncello.
Sunny-yellow bottles of the potent liqueur flank the bar areas at Brazi’s and the drink can be enjoyed by the glass after your meal of linguini puttanesca or chicken calabrese.
Capobianco has a similar attitude toward the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. His business fell off a cliff around Christmas due to the Omicron variant, but he sees signs of hope.
“Things have changed quite a bit,” Capobianco said, speaking of an influx of regulars and new diners at Brazi’s since Valentine’s Day. “It seems like people are more relaxed and not as afraid. The lifting of the restrictions makes people feel more comfortable. So business has been pretty good.”
With a bleak holiday season behind them due to Omicron, New Haven’s restaurateurs are looking forward to a busy spring, said Scott Dolch, president and CEO of the Connecticut Restaurant Association. Dolch was at Brazi’s on Monday for a news event on federal measures aimed at helping small and midsize businesses.
“We need to make sure that this industry gets back on its feet — it’s gotta recover,” Dolch said. “It’s about consumer confidence, our industry, it’s about people wanting to get back into the city and support their favorite New Haven restaurant.”
Dolch worked to sound an optimistic note after a private meeting last week between restaurateurs and New Haven city officials that got “emotional,” he said. Federal aid has dried up and many restaurants are contemplating closure after the Omicron hit.
Mayor Justin Elicker called the restaurant-industry meeting “lively” when speaking at the Brazi’s event on Monday. “You can feel people’s frustration as they struggle through this time,” Elicker said.
The city announced last week it would partially lift the city’s mask mandate for public spaces.s of March 7, customers in restaurants and retail stores will no longer be required to mask up.
The mask mandate being lifted helps, Dolch said, but New Haven’s 400 restaurants are also looking to lawmakers for more, including help on promotion beyond touting the city’s famous pizza, Dolch added. A lively restaurant scene with multiple cuisines and options is vital to bringing life back to the cities, he added.
New Haven’s eateries have been harder hit than those in the suburbs in recent months in part because of their reliance on Yale, Dolch said. The university delayed the start of classes after winter break and at one point advised students to avoid venturing off campus.
As the winter wraps up, state restaurant industry reps are busy in Hartford working to secure the expansions in outdoor dining extended during the pandemic, Dolch said.
“We have to unify more,” Dolch said of the restaurant industry. “You’re stronger with one voice. You have a lively, vibrant restaurant scene,” he said of New Haven “Everyone succeeds because of that.”
Capobianco expects more than a return to normal as Omicron fades. Despite ongoing labor, higher prices for raw materials and supply chain issues, he’s expecting “a big boom” as the weather warms.
“There’s so many moving parts,” Capobianco said, speaking of the multitude of challenges facing restaurants right now. “When we get through that, I think business will be excellent. I’m very optimistic about the future.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
