New Kamloops restaurant owner desperate to reopen to survive pandemic

KAMLOOPS – Claudia Di Muzio needs her restaurant open now in order to survive. It was just in October when she opened her own Italian cuisinary, Di Muzio Restorante. It’s been a dream come true, but the pandemic has hit her hard.

“A lot of people don’t know me, so it’s really hard to get them to come,” she said. “I had a little people ordering from me, so it’s been good. People that had come before all this happened. They came and supported.”

But she needs more customers to come in. A day after phase two of B.C.’s economic reopening plan started, Di Muzio is getting her place ready for a group of people tonight (May 20). She has spread her tables out for social distancing and is mindful of spacing.

“My plan is trying to figure out how to keep it comfortable for everybody – my server and customers that come in,” noted Di Muzio. “So I was thinking of probably doing every second table.”

At Duffy’s Pub, open for the second day, they are greeting customers with hand sanitizer. They have arrows directing people and one way in and one way out. Tables are also spaced out appropriately.

“We’ve got the back of the chair and the back of the chair six feet apart, so we’re trying to make it so people aren’t walking by tables as much as we can,” said Duffy’s Pub manager Stacey Crellin. “We’ve got this huge open space in the middle of the pub where we have no tables at all, directing traffic towards the patio, coming out of the patio, and towards the washrooms.”

Duffy’s, like every other restaurant in B.C., is limited to 50 per cent capacity. It might result in reduced hours, but the pub is confident in the loyal customer base it has. Myles Doenz is one of the regulars who is excited about returning to his second home.

“It’s nice to see other people. We’re getting tired of looking at each other,” he joked. “I just enjoy the staff and [owner] Arthur and everybody else. It’s a good time to get out.”

It’s what Di Muzio is trying to build as a new restaurant owner: a loyal customer base.

“I need help. I’m really new. I’m only seven months young and a lot of people don’t know me, so I really need to be open. I want to be open.”