From left: Betty Fitzpatrick, Sharlene and Dale Feltis, Linda Bailey, and Kelsey Briggs are ready to welcome customers back for indoor dining at Reunion Station in Damariscotta.
Reunion Station, in Damariscotta, reopened its dining room Tuesday, July 7.
“We’re excited,” said owner Sharlene Feltis. “We missed our people, we truly did, and we just want to find some level of normalcy. It’s going to be odd for everyone.”
The day also marked the return of the restaurant’s staff. Since the COVID-19 emergency began, Sharlene Feltis and her husband, Dale, have been keeping the restaurant going.
“It’s our staff’s first day back, but we’re still doing a skeleton crew to minimize getting in each other’s space,” Sharlene Feltis said.
After closing the dining room at the start of the pandemic, Reunion Station continued to offer takeout and introduced curbside pickup. The option minimizes contact, as there is no direct handoff.
“It’s absolutely something we’re going to keep doing,” Sharlene Feltis said. “This has really opened our eyes up to the fragility of our older population, and we really want to do what we can to find everyone’s comfort levels.”
In preparation for indoor dining, the staff reduced the number of tables from 19 tables to nine to ensure physical distancing. More tables are available outside.
Customers must wear masks indoors unless seated at a table, and payments will be taken at tables rather than the front counter.
Customers are asked not to go to other tables to socialize. “That’s a really big thing here, and we know it’s going to be hard,” Sharlene Feltis said.
For more information about Reunion Station, call 563-5557, find the business on Facebook, or look for the restaurant’s weekly ad in The Lincoln County News.
