How are bar and restaurant owners getting through the statewide no dine-in rule?

Greater Lafayette bars and restaurant owners hit hard with the effects of statewide no dine-in rule.

Heading into month two of the statewide no-dine in order.

While many owners have made adjustments, they're still finding this time quite challenging.

News 18's micah upshaw tells us what they're experiencing.

K: how does a restaurant function through a pandemic when we're not supposed to be in groups, when we're not supposed be connecting with each other.

M: it's a question many local restaurant owners are learning to answer each day.

Kirsten serrano co-owns la scala with her husband paco.

She says trying to keep the business afloat hasn't been easy since they closed.

K: it was the right decision but i think it was very hard to close to the doors on something that we've owned for 21 years.

M: the serrano's have recently restructured their entire business model to create a delivery service called 'good to go.'

They'll be delivering nutritious meals to those hunkered down at home.

Kirsten says this is an effort to save their business.

K: i don't want to be overly dramatic, but it could be make or break.

People have asked me how do we help la scala we want la scala to survive and the best thing to do is to support this good to go model.

M: john christodoulakis, owner of several restaurants in greater lafayette says while they've adjusted to carry out and delivery, they wouldn't be able to sustain it long-term.

J: for us, it's kind of a adjustment, you want to pick up as much business as you can but it's never going to be a replacement business.

M: his five restaurants are also feeling the effects of the no dine-in rule.

J: it's obviously been very financially difficult.

We've been in this community for 30 years so we have great confidence that once we are allowed to open that the community will come out and support us.

K: what i don't want to happen is that we come out of this time with chain restaurants and nothing else, and chain stores and nothing else.

M: in greater lafayette micah upshaw, news 18.

The state is allowing restaurants to re-open on may 11 at 50- percent capacity.

John christodoulakis plans to follow that model and reopen his restaurants.

La scala owners are choosing to stick with their 'good to go' model and wait more time before fully reopening.

Since the start