"On this particular street where we have six or seven other restaurants, I'm the only one that's open," said Luis Garcia, owner of Garcia's Seafood Grille.
It’s been less than a week since restaurants in South Florida have been shut down for dine-in service due to the coronavirus, and owner of Garcia’s Seafood Grille in Miami is already feeling the impact.
Open for over 50 years, the Miami staple has never crashed this hard. Sales have decreased by 80%.
"I've got guys that have been with me for over 20 years and it's hard for me not to be able to give them a paycheck," said Garcia.
Garcia says even though he’s working with a skeleton crew right now, he’s fighting to stay open for pick up and delivery.
"We [also] have our retail open. Fresh lobster, stone crabs, fresh shrimp," added Garcia.
In Coral Gables, another family-owned business Caja Caliente is business as usual by still offering specials on days like Taco Tuesday.
"We have pollo and lechon tacos for $4.00 and we have our pan con lechon for $5.00, so we're really trying to our thing as normal as possible," said Claudia Fornoni, manager of Caja Caliente.
Every Tuesday we’ll be highlighting restaurants owners who are finding ways to serve their communities and how you can support them in their efforts. For a list of restaurants offering take-out services or if you are restaurant in need, click here: https://www.sflcw.com/open
