PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio — Put-In Bay’s restaurants and bars are bouncing back after a challenging 2020.
Bar and restaurant owners across the city say it’s returning to it’s pre-pandemic highs, but there are still steps that need to happen to truly return to normal.
Following the state’s and city’s COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, the number of visitors to the island city has skyrocketed.
On an average afternoon the streets surrounding the Boardwalk are once again packed with pedestrians and golf carts.
Andrew Christensen, the owner of Reel Bar, says the change is massive, and not just compared to last year.
“As for the amount of people here, it’s normal. It’s better than normal. We’re actually doing better than in previous years,” said Christensen.
When Covid restrictions were at their peak, local businesses struggled to fill the same tables that are packed today.
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Eric Booker, President of the Island Service Co, says during July of last year, Put-In Bay looked like a “ghost town”.
Both he and Christianson agree that it was the months of being in lockdown that caused people to want to soak up the sun in droves; and now they’re making up for lost time.
While the sudden increase in tourism is great news for the businesses that rely on vacation dollars, there are struggles that come with the increase.
A number of the employees that worked on the island last summer lost their jobs, and many of those businesses haven’t fully recovered.
“We need people. Badly. Right now we’re down 30% from unemployment,” said Booker.
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And with businesses booming - it’s more important than ever to be fully staffed.
With the pressure on, owners are beginning to offer incentives to bring in new employees, such as sign-on bonuses and higher starting wages.
Booker says they look forward to being fully staffed.
With the days of curfews and mask orders behind it, life is returning to Put-in Bay.
It’s not quite normal yet, and employees are still needed, but the city is on road toward recovery.
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