It was close to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, and on any normal day, Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant in Seymour would be bustling with business.
But all of the booths and tables inside were empty, and the kitchen was quiet.
It was no normal day in the food service business.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryOn Monday, Gov. Eric Holcomb, under recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and even President Donald Trump, ordered all restaurants and bars in Indiana to close their dine-in areas. Pickup and delivery services are still available at most places, including Mi Casa.
But the impact of lost business has owners Martin and Connie Hernandez and other small business owners and employees questioning what the future holds.
They are relying on the support of their customers and communities to help them through what Connie describes as something she never thought would or could happen.
Right now, customers can call in orders from Mi Casa and pick them up from a sliding window on the north side of the building facing the railroad tracks. They also are going to try to offer delivery service, Connie said.
On Tuesday, Seymour Police Department Officer Jason Alberring was the first to place an order. He was followed by others. Each and every person was leaving bigger than normal tips, Connie said.
It was enough to make her smile even amidst the tears.
Larrison’s Diner, another popular Seymour eatery, remained closed Tuesday as owner Liz Larrison and her staff continue to assess the situation.
They are looking at limited hours and only allowing a few people inside at a time to pick up orders.
“Our goal is to start to be open Thursday through Saturday and see what kind of results we get and see if it’s financially worth it, but I want my employees to make some money, and this is really a hard day,” she said.
Larrison said the last time the diner and other restaurants had to close for any period of time was in March 2006 when a main gas line broke under the East Fork White River off of State Road 11.
“Essentially, everybody was shut down then, but this could go on for weeks. Nobody knows,” she said.
But Larrison said she is encouraged by the help and support businesses continue to receive.
“People are really working with us right now, like the Seymour Chamber of Commerce has gotten a hold of us and they’re willing to advertise as soon as we know what we’re going to do,” she said. “I also had a customer just call and say as soon as we’re open, he’ll be down here to support us, and I think that’s awesome.”
Barbara Lewis, who is originally from Columbus, is in town from Dallas, Texas, taking care of her 92-year-old mother, Harriet Meyer.
She was able to stop at Hill’s Fish Stand in Seymour to pick up a carryout order for lunch Tuesday.
“I really don’t know much about the eating establishments around here, but I stopped because I really like fish, and it was convenient for me, and I figured it’d be safe and not real busy,” Lewis said.
Allison Davidson, assistant manager at Hill’s Fish Stand, said the restaurant is still open regular hours. Customers can call orders in ahead of time and pick them up or they can walk in, place their orders and wait for carryout.
“It’s definitely going to be tough, and the business isn’t going to be as good as it normally is,” Davidson said. “We have six employees here, and we’ll all be staying and hanging in there and pulling together as best we can.”
Even though there is no dine-in allowed at this time, Davidson said staff continues to sanitize tables, napkin holders, bottles, door handles, counters and other surfaces regularly throughout the day.
Davidson said although business was slow Monday, it actually picked up Tuesday.
“We’ve already had quite a few customers come through today (Tuesday), which is better because we were slow Monday, so today has been pretty normal so far,” she said. “It will help if the community continues to come in and pick up food. Just because the dining room’s not open, it doesn’t mean they can’t stop by and pick up some dinner.”
Chad and Lori Keithley own Brewskies Grub and Pub in Seymour, but for lunch Tuesday, they stopped at Hill’s Fish Stand.
“We’re just trying to help support the local businesses that are doing the carryouts,” he said.
“It’s going to hit the small businesses hard,” Lori added.
The couple said they also are offering carryout from Brewskies from 4 to 8 p.m. daily to see how it goes.
“We will re-evaluate on Friday,” Chad said. “I think it’s going to hit us all.”