Restaurants going into the New Year Hungry for Business

New Year’s Eve is often a time for a large get together, but with the pandemic still going on most people are keeping gatherings small.

Those smaller gatherings are affecting local restaurants.

Real threat......most people are staying home.

Newschannel 2's kirk tupaj tells us how those smaller gatherings are affecting local restaurants.

Ventura's restaurant in east utica has been in business almost 79 years now, but this year has without a doubt been the toughest.

The indoor business has been cut more than half due to pandemic restrictions, and that end of the year boost just isn't happening.

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None .

None sot: rufus ventura, owner ventura's restaurant you know people are staying home.

You're seeing smaller groups.

You can't have any more than 4 people at a table, so you know that hurts too.

You know it you have a family of 5 people what are you going to do.

You can't&you're going to be at 2 tables.

You're going to do a table of 3 and a table of 2&.i mean it's tough.

Fortunately they're an established business with loyal customers, but even the takeout orders aren't looking like they usually do.

Sot: rufus ventura, owner ventura's restaurant you see like 3-5 on a ticket instead of you know 8 or 9 or 10.

Especially on new year's eve you know you get the parties of 8 people, 10 people that get together, and they're not doing it this year.

Takeout orders over at el barajo have been relatively good this year.

They're seeing very little in the way of sit down orders since march, and 2020 isn't ending the way it usually does.

Sot: nieve nunez, el barajo spanish restaurant manager last year new year's was like a regular day.

Today is like something different.

By different she means slow, but nieve nunez is hopeful this coming year will be better.

Sot: nieve nunez, el barajo spanish restaurant manager it is bad but we cannot say that bad because we have a lot of delivery.

Like a grubhub, a door dash, and away eat, so that's helping us, but in general it's not like before.

Nothing's like before.

Just down the street at sunny's asian restaurant chief sarvong soeung is busy preparing food for the customers he does have.

The restaurant is usually filled on new year's eve, but even the takeout orders aren't anywhere near what they should be.

Sot: sarvong soeung, sunny restaurant new year's eve yes is usually a big day.

We usually get a lot of takeout because people have parties, so they get a lot of egg rolls, pad tha butot so muchhis year beuse nody's having aew year'seve pare the way they order their food.

Sot: sarvong soeung, sunny restaurant it's really difficult.

We had to rearrange all our order in from produce to meat.

We cut back maybe 50%, maybe 60% on our ordering, and we go to a smaller store now just to get smaller ones instead of one big order that we usually do.

Sot: kirk tupaj if you're not in the mood to cook this new year's eve, remember all the local choices you have in restaurants, and how your order will help keep their doors open.

In utica, i'm kirk tupaj reporting for newschannel 2.> how nbc is helping you escape