AGAWAM/WEST SPRINGFIELD – Massachusetts is now officially back in the first step of Phase 3 for their COVID-19 reopening plan.

During a coronavirus briefing on Dec. 9, Gov. Charlie Baker laid out stricter protocol for Massachusetts residents to follow. Aside from capacity restrictions and venue closures, Gov. Baker also enacted certain restrictions for the restaurant industry.  

As of Sunday Dec. 13, venues with seated dining can only allow up to six people per table, and patrons will be required to wear a mask unless they are eating or drinking. There will also be a 90-minute dining limit for patrons who are seated inside of a restaurant venue.

Many local restaurants across the state have had to adjust to the ever-changing guidelines that have been authorized over the course of the pandemic. With very little federal and statewide financial assistance, places like Murphy’s Pub in Agawam and The Crest Room in West Springfield continue to do everything they can to keep their businesses afloat.

“The summer was pretty good with the outdoor dining, but as soon as the cold weather hit, we’ve definitely seen a shrinking of sales,” said Thomas Murphy, the owner of Murphy’s Pub. “We’ve been fortunate our takeout has picked up a little bit, but it’s going to be a long winter for sure.”

According to Murphy, Baker’s last round of restrictions “wasn’t a big deal” for the restaurant and bar, but he did say that the newest mask rule for when customers are seated at the table is a little “challenging.”

“My understanding is, they said that you can only take [your mask] off when you eat, which leads me to believe you’re supposed to wear it until your food is served,” said Murphy. “If you have drinks, how does that work? It just doesn’t seem very practical.”

Currently, Murphy’s is allowing four seats at the bar to promote proper social distancing measures. With their main draw being restricted, Murphy said that they will continue to rely heavily on the takeout. Without takeout, Murphy said that his revenue numbers would be “dismal.”

“The reality is, there are a lot of people who just don’t want to come to a restaurant right now,” said Murphy. “And it’s understandable, I get it.”

Murphy believes that Baker has done a “reasonably good job” considering the hand he has been dealt, and said that everyone just has to comply and “do what we got to do” in order to head in a more positive direction.

As a side note, Murphy also wanted to add that he is a part owner of two bars in Amherst – McMurphy’s Uptown Tavern and Stacker’s Pub –and both places have been closed since March, because they are considered an actual bar, without the food aspect.

“It’s been a significant challenge,” said Murphy.

As for The Crest Room in West Springfield, owner Phil Roberts has also had to make some adjustments, as the restaurant business throughout the country continues to struggle. One of those adjustments includes smokehouse barbecue.

“Over the summer, we purchased and learned all about smokehouse, and bought a smoker,” said Roberts. “We have freshly-smoked product in-house.”

With this added knowledge, The Crest Room has been able to provide smokehouse barbecue family takeout meals. They have also been serving breakfast every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and even offer their own delivery service for residents.

“With everything going on, obviously people didn’t want jam-packed places, so we saw [the breakfast] as an opportunity to maybe get a little bit of sales in here in a time when we otherwise wouldn’t be using the place,” said Roberts.

Roberts said this is a difficult position for everyone in the restaurant business, and he also thinks that the state is making the best decisions possible with everyone in mind. He believes that although it would be “very difficult” to be in Baker’s shoes at the moment, some relief packages would be helpful for struggling businesses.

“All of these hard-hit businesses, whenever there’s more restrictions put on them, there’s got to be some kind of relief,” said Roberts. “It would be great if that came from wherever, federal, state … as long as we’re able to keep doing the thing that we love.”

Despite the challenges, Roberts said that Mayor William Reichelt and the West Springfield Health Department have been “great partners” throughout this year, assisting The Crest Room in any way they can, especially when it came to outdoor dining protocol over the summer.

The West Springfield Licensing Commission also voted unanimously to waive all license renewal fees for calendar year 2021 for businesses in good standing. This includes local restaurants.

“Every little bit helps right now,” said Roberts. “Them being able to take that hit for us and all of the other restaurants … it was a big thing.”

In the meantime, The Crest Room will continue to be creative with how they serve food to their customers in a safe manner. They plan on serving a smoked ham dinner for Christmas time.