CINCINNATI — Restaurants are still recovering from the pandemic, with rising costs and more people watching their spending due to inflation. But downtown restaurants are hoping to get back to normal, many bringing back lunch with more people working in person.
Going out for lunch in downtown has been a struggle the last few years.
“We didn't have lunch for four years during COVID," said Chris Breeden, the owner of Arnold's Bar and Grill. "Prior to Covid, it was kind of our bread and butter.”
But at Arnold’s, the oldest tavern in Cincinnati, they decided it was about time to bring it back.
“We saw that there was a lot more people working and, obviously with a lot less people eating out right now, we needed to find another way to get more income," Breeden said. "So we opened up for lunch. That was the reasoning, was seeing people and needing more money.”
Breeden said it’s been a struggle, like it has for all restaurants since the pandemic. But he knew it was time to bring the lunch crowd back.
“At first it was terrible," he said. "Hardly anybody showed up, but maybe it was hard to get the word out at the time. So, we made a poster saying, 'hey, if you don't come out to Arnold's, we're going to have to close lunches and then, you know, for a few weeks, people poured in, and now we're sustaining pretty well now.”
According to the National Restaurant Association, 29% of in-office consumers went to lunch less frequently, and 27% say they ordered take-out from restaurants less too.
But in the weeks before Christmas, Breeden is seeing a steady stream of large parties and lunch patrons.
“The beautiful thing about Arnold's is we still have a constant stream of regulars," Breeden said.
Like Debbie McMorrow who lives just around the corner.
“It's also to support a small business," McMorrow said. "We love the people that run it. Run Arnold's, Mario, Pam, Chris. And, you know, it's just nice to come to a place where they know you. It's almost like a neighborhood bar restaurant.”
And Tracey Burgoon, who's been coming to Arnold's for 15 years, and says keeping a restaurant like Arnold’s open is vital to the success of the city.
“I mean, it's a struggle, right?" Burgoon said. "And during the pandemic, we even came down and supported Arnold's, with their fish fries that they were having on Fridays because we wanted to make sure that businesses like this continue to succeed. I mean, I think it's the salt of the earth people that make Cincinnati such a wonderful place to live and to visit.”