TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio's coronavirus curfew expired on Feb. 11, leading several downtown Toledo businesses to extend their hours.
One of those is Home Slice Pizza, which will be serving both food and alcohol into the early morning hours.
The pizza shop is known for being a late-night joint, so without a curfew, starting this weekend, it's extending its hours to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
"We decided to do it to kinda get back to normal, and eventually, we're gonna have to get used to it. So, we kinda figure, we kinda pull the band-aide off as staying up late. None of us have been up that late in a while," Home Slice Pizza owner Michael Knight said.
With several places still closed, it's another option for customers who live downtown or anyone passing through.
"I live in west Toledo; come downtown often. You know, I'm glad they lifted the curfew. It's great for these small businesses. I know they've been struggling and it's great to see Toledo make a lot of progress over the past several years," Home Slice customer Travis Mielcarek said.
For some who have struggled through the pandemic, this sign of normalcy comes as a sense of relief.
"The biggest thing is, it's kinda the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, it first started off, it was gonna be a couple of weeks, and then a couple weeks turned into a couple months. And now what; another 14 days and we're at a year," Knight said.
"There's people that still want to live their lives and do things and as long as they can do that safely, you know, it gives people more options; it gives the businesses more time to help deliver food and serve to people," Mielcarek said.
As long as customers still follow all safety guidelines and rules, then Knight said he feels the business can bring more life to the downtown area.
"The nightlife of downtown needs to get back because the last couple of years... its been really good and it's drawing more younger people into the city now that you can do something," Knight said.
For more information on Home Slice Pizza, click here.
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