Over the weekend, a note came to us from someone who was concerned that a Cambridge restaurant may have closed for good and was wondering if we knew whether this was true. We had no answer for them because there was absolutely no news or updates about the dining spot, and it brought up an interesting and rather worrisome question: Which restaurants in the Boston area (and elsewhere) have decided to call it a day? In most cases, the answer is that there is no answer, at least for the time being.
When Governor Baker's order on restaurant restrictions became official two weeks ago, a number of dining spots decided to give it a go with takeout and/or delivery options--which are the only options until the ruling is lifted--while others simply shut down, and some of the restaurants that initially set up takeout/delivery service subsequently gave up on it and closed their doors as well. As a result, there are a lot of dining and drinking spots in and around Boston that are locked up and dark, and while many continue to stay in touch with folks via social media, many others are unnervingly silent.
As of now, the last day of the restaurant restriction order is April 6, but few believe that this date will hold, especially since the White House extended the federal social distancing guidelines to April 30 over the weekend, which will surely put restaurant owners and workers on pins and needles with each of Governor Baker's press conferences this week. If the order is extended further into the month or even beyond, that only puts more pressure on the people behind local dining spots, some of which have already said that the future of their businesses are already in question.
As to the original question of which restaurants will reopen and which won't once things start to get better, the answer might just be a scarily simple one; if you see the lights on and movement inside, that's a good sign, and if you don't, well, there might not be reason to worry right away, but if those lights stay off for an extended period of time, you might unfortunately have your answer.
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
