CareerSource Palm Beach County says the leisure and hospitality sectors are still down about 4,000 workers since the inception of the coronavirus pandemic. As restaurant operators struggle with staffing, restaurants in Boca Raton are turning to robot servers called cobots (collaborative robots).

Louis Grayson is the operator of several Asian eateries in Palm Beach County. He introduced us to his robot.

"She doesn't like her ears touched, her name is Bella," said Grayson. As one employee started rubbing Bella's ears she said, "Stop touching my ears!"

Bella is a robot at the fast-casual Asian bowl concept called Eat District in Boca Raton.

"Hello, Your food is here," she said to a table.

"It helps greats the customer it helps run the food. It can even seat customers and it even sings happy birthday," said Grayson.

In this pandemic, help is hard to come by. The demand for collaborative robots or COBOTS is surging as industries struggle to fill open positions. Right now, the unemployment rate in the Palm Beaches is 3.5%, below the national average. There are more job openings than unemployed people. And over the last 8 months, the amount of people working in the leisure and hospitality sector in Palm Beach County has risen by 13.9%.

"Due to like the labor shortage it really does help us with a little bit more like a helping hand," said Grayson.

Bella's attendance record is perfect, "Luckily the robot never calls out sick!" said Grayson and then admitted she may need time off for system updates.

At Eat District Bella is more of a food runner, "Helping the staff run the food being intuitive with the customers," Grayson said.

At The Sea Asian Kitchen, also in Boca Raton, Louis has given that robot more responsibilities, "Placing all the plates and everything on there and runs it to the dishwasher," said Grayson.

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association said operators have told them that robots, "Cuts down on costs and they have proven to be reliable."

Bella costs over $10,000, "We thought about it and we thought you know from that $10,000 to extra helping hand is worth every penny," and in less than six months pays for herself instead of a restaurant paying for a full-time employee.

Celebrity Chef Lindsay Autry's 'The Regional' has sat dormant for 17 months at The Square in West Palm Beach (formally called CityPlace). And this Thursday, she and her partner are ready to reopen the restaurant after closing because of complications from the coronavirus pandemic.

Taste & See South Florida's Interview with Chef Lindsay Autry

Autry said she decided to close her establishment in Aug. of 2020 in order to preserve what they had built over the last five years, "I think sometimes people forget when they see how grandiose and beautiful this restaurant is that we're also locals, you know, and it does take a lot of penny-pinching to make it work and I really didn't want to see it go away."

Autry said in 2019, they were able to make enough money to stay current with rent and other bills while they were closed.

But reopening isn't just turning on the lights, dusting off the menus, and lighting up the grills, it's like opening up for the first time but with new pandemic-area problems to solve.

Labor Shortages

Industry-wide labor shortages have affected 'The Regional's' reboot, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say that it's been super easy to staff the restaurant. It hasn't. I feel very fortunate that I have about five people that have been with me for a little over 10 years."

"You know, for me, I love to teach people and I love to watch my staff and my employees grow and move on to other great things. I wasn't expecting a lot of them to go into real estate or construction or different things. I kind of want to get them back. I'm not done with them yet," joked Autry with her usual North Carolina charm.

The Supply Chain

Shortages and increased costs on 'everything' is forcing tweaks to the menu, "I mean, I don't think anybody's been able to find cream cheese in like three weeks, not even me, [and] I feel like I know everybody," laughed Autry.

According to industry experts, restaurants need to operate at about 20% profit in order to be successful. But because of rising costs, that might be difficult. "Everything is more expensive [now]; gloves, paper towels, meat, fish," said the  James Beard-nominated chef.

Chef said customers shouldn't worry about mainstay favorites like Fried Chicken, Tomatoes Pie, and Pimento Cheese: They will still be on the menu, "You can expect [a] little bit of an elevated version of what we were doing before."

Autry believes having the right mindset during the pandemic is important, "There has been a lot of focus on the negative [and] I'm really trying to approach this in a very positive way that we're excited to be open."

Why Reopen Now?

Chef Autry said she and her partner wanted to reopen when the season started in 2021 but there were some obstacles to overcome, "[We wanted to be] here for Kravis [reopening] and for season and [to] really take [advantage] of the situation. Unfortunately, we had a few really major mechanical issues that we had to deal with as well,"

Autry said there was an air conditioning repair and damage from a water main break to contend with first, "It delayed us a little bit more because we had to take the time and fix some things and we want to reopen right you know,."

When customers visit they can expect a rebranded pub area, called Mockingbird, which will debut in a few weeks.

'The Regional' will be open Wednesday - Sunday starting at 5 p.m. nightly then expanding hours as demand warrants.

More to Come...

Relaunching 'The Regional' is just one of many projects Autry is working on. She just wrapped up the annual Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival in December and is opening a new restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, "I am opening another restaurant inside of the newly renovated PGA National Resort. It's called Honeybelle."

Autry, a mom of a two-year-old, said her "good team" and channeling her "inner unicorn" will make it all happen.

CheeseBoarder.com workers are getting the boxes ready to ship charcuterie boards-- gourmet cheeses and meats across the country within 24-hours.

Sal and his co-workers are with The ARC Palm Beach County, an organization which helps individuals with disabilities. Six of them have full-time jobs at CheeseBoarder.

"It feels good, we work as a team and it's showing leadership" said Sal.

Aaron Menitoff is the company's co-owner. "One of the things we wanted to build into the company is a way of giving back in the community," said Menitoff. "One of the things that's important to my wife Julie and myself is work."

The workforce has expanded. The company started in October of 2020. When the pandemic hit, the company went from catering to shipping charcuterie. It's grown from a 2,000-square foot location to 15,000 square feet.

"We grew up to December to having 12 employees, but right now we have 40 employees and six of those employees are full-time ARC clients," Menitoff said. "Our partners are Goldbelly and Door Dash, Gourmet Foods International and Williams Sonoma."

"We entered into a great partnership with the number one cheese boarder and charcuterie influencer in the United States which is Marissa Mullen, " Menitoff said.

Growing a business and giving back to the community.

"Through our peers that are in the hospitality business, and we know that everyone is struggling, a really unique thing happened when we started putting out the word about our company. The employees that worked here brought in their friends, brought in their family," said Menitoff.

To learn more about CheeseBoarder, click here.

Palm Beach Countys travel season is heating up and entrepreneurs are positioning themselves to scoop up much-needed tourism dollars lost during the pandemic.

The restaurant scene in Delray Beach leaned heavily on the expanded outdoor dining spaces to get through the pandemic, sending a valuable lesson to many business owners about the importance of staying flexible. 

Thats prompting a new restaurant to capitalize on the concept of convertible spaces. 

The countdown is on as construction enters its final phase and it's bringing a creative concept to downtown Delray Beach, a new restaurant called Throw Social. 

The city was extremely supportive the entire way, said Ginger Flesher-Sonnier, owner of Throw Social Delray Beach. 

A massive convertible overhang is being built outside, along with a professional outdoor stage. 

It's tucked away behind the quaint shops and restaurants along Southeast Second Avenue right off Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.

The majority of folks were extremely excited and very happy that we were coming to town, said Flesher-Sonnier.  There were one or two people who spoke up at the meetings that were kind of against it, but even the council members won them over, so it was it was a very pleasant process. 

The epitome of whats recognized as experiential entertainment, THRW Social will encompass 12,000 square feet of competitive socializing, complete with shareable plates and chef-driven cuisine, an Instagram-friendly mixologist-led beverage program, live music, comedians and DJs, andthe icing on the proverbial cakeexpertly crafted, high-tech social games. 

Celebrating South Florida lifestyle at its best, THRW Social will celebrate elevated Tropical Palm Beach Chic design and the finest of all worlds: live entertainment, crafted bar offerings, handcrafted dining and experiential fun all in one; by day, a destination for families to share quality time and by night, a tropical flamingo-themed playground for adults to revel in.

The main draw to this venue in particular was the outdoor space, said Flesher-Sonnier.  We found so many people enjoy being outside especially because of the pandemic.  They feel more comfortable outside. 

Flesher-Sonnier already plans to open additional locations in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale over the next year. 

Throw Social Delray Beach is looking to hire 100 people before opening at the end of December.  

A job fair will take place on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 29 SE 2nd Ave in Delray Beach. 

For more information about Throw Social and the jobs available, click here. 

Treasure Coast residents will now have the luxury of visiting a new beachfront bar and restaurant.

Years in the making, the Seaside Cafe on Stuart Beach opened its doors Friday after struggling to find employees for weeks.

"A beautiful view," said Mike Tierney, resident. "It's a wide beach, plenty of room and well-maintained."

Tierney said he was unaware of Friday's ribbon-cutting but quickly found himself enjoying the new hangout.

"Next thing I know I'm having a beer and I'm having a delicious smorgasbord of meals, friendly lovely people, just so glad I moved to Stuart," Tierney said.

The project cost $2 million and replaced the old Chef Shack that occupied the space for years.

Kevin Abbate, the director of Martin County Parks and Recreation, said the county began offering incentives such as free water park passes to Sailfish Splash and free rounds of golf to get residents to apply.

"We had a big influx of students. It was amazing to see some of the 14-year-olds apply for a job," said Abbate.

The cafe currently serves food, beer and wine.

Abbate is hoping the new colorful curb appeal will bring in customers.

"We know we're going to get the beach customer because they're here and they're hungry, but getting the customer off the street to come to this destination was our goal," Abbate said.

The new property also includes new restrooms and beach showers.

It will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekdays.

"I'm definitely going to come back, and I would recommend anybody in the area to come back to enjoy the service and the food," Tierney said.

Nearly every business took a big hit last year, but there were a handful of industries that actually saw a boost during the pandemic. But does that boost in a strange time carry over into a more stable and normal 2021?

In Watertown, Tennessee, Barry Floyd runs a drive-in movie theater.

"The Stardust is an independent drive-in," Floyd said. "My wife and I own the place. We got a lot of customers who came every weekend."

It's a place where everyone loves movies and has a favorite they've seen there.

"Toy Story 2! I loved that movie!" a woman said in the ticket booth.

"I really hope it's going to be Fast and Furious 9!" said a kid standing near the screen.

When COVID-19 hit last year, the Stardust and other drive-ins went through a renaissance.

"When everything got shut down before the streaming services really took off, we were really the only option for movies," Floyd said. "Social distancing is built in. It's what we do."

Nationally, the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association said more than half of drive-ins saw an increase in tickets in 2020, though COVID-19 did create problems for concessions sales in some places.

For Stardust, Floyd said 2020 was the best year they've had in 18 years.

"We opened movies for Hulu and Amazon," he said. "We sold out every weekend with Hocus Pocus."

How are drive-ins doing in 2021?

"Our indoor counterparts are opening back up," Floyd said. "Our attendance has gone down from last year, but as my wife reminded me, we're back to normal. Not every year can be a 2020. We're back to 2019 numbers."

Meanwhile, in Corbin, Kentucky, Jon Huston is the CEO of Webbed Sphere.

"Some of the companies I have include Troll and Toad, Toy Vault," he said.

Huston has long worked in collectibles and board games, but in 2020, he decided to launch a business in jigsaw puzzles. The new brand is called Mchezo.

"Jigsaw puzzles, they went through the roof compared to previous years," he said. "We sold through our entire orders, usually within a week or two."

The NPD Group, a marketing company, says games and puzzle sales in 2020 were up by 29% over 2019. That means for the year, games and puzzles brought in nearly $3 billion.

So, how is Huston's business doing in 2021?

"Board games are trending back to 2019 numbers, absolutely, but COVID permanently increased the number of people interested in puzzles," he said.

Of course, there are several businesses that saw a renaissance in 2020, now seeing if that carries through 2021.

"You know, I have another product that doubled in sales last year," Huston said. "Glass bottles to put your sanitizer in!"

Festivals put many of Americas small towns on the map and are irreplaceable for Main streets across the U.S. While they bring memories and an economic boost, 2020 took away nearly all of Americas small-town festivals. As we enter summer 2021, we take a look at why American festivals are as much fun as they are a key role in the economy.

We southerners like our sweets, said Nancy Mama Phillips, rolling dough on a table. Its gotta be sweet!

People visit Mama Phillips at Bluebird Antiques and Ice Cream Parlor to have one of her famous fried pies.

It is delicious, a woman said, taking a bite of a lemon fried pie. Two-and-a-half-hour drive. Worth the trip.

People say, Whats the special ingredient in these pies? said Mama Phillips. I say, Its love!

Everyone loves Mama Phillips in little Bell Buckle, Tennessee, from her son, Billy, in the antique shop a few doors down to her good friend, Hillary Parker, at the Bell Buckle Caf.

Small town, laid back, easy-going, said Parker. Everybody knows everybody.

Nobody cares how much money you make, added Billy Phillips. Nobody cares what kind of car you drive.

No matter where youre from, you know a town like Bell Buckle.

Ive been here basically all my life, said Mama Phillips. I am 85 years old.

Like many of those towns across the country, Bell Buckles known for a festival, a big one too. Its the RC Cola MoonPie Festival.

It was called the poor mans lunch during the depression, said Mama Phillips. It kept some people from going hungry cause you get an RC and a MoonPie for a nickel.

The festival is a big deal for the small town.

Supports us for the year, said Parker.

In fact, Jenny Hunt of the Chamber of Commerce says the festival takes little Bell Buckle from population 405 to more than 30,000 people.

We see an uptick in the sales tax revenue for 60 days past the event, she said.

Lemons are a theme in this small town---from the fresh-squeezed lemonade in Parkers caf to the lemon potpourri in Billy Phillipss shop to Mamas lemon fried pies. In 2020, Bell Buckle was truly served lemons.

Dark days, said Billy. That sounds really ominous, but it was.

COVID-19 canceled the festival in 2020.

It broke our hearts, but it had to be, said Mama Phillips. It was devastating, really. We persevered the best we could.

Bell Buckles story is the same as many towns that were served lemons.

Looking at the map, 2020 saw the cancellation of festivals like Deltarado Days in Delta, Colorado, the Florida Seafood Festival in Apalachicola, and Paul Bunyon Days in Fort Bragg, California.

These stories dont just end here.

We gotta get the happy part in, Billy smiled.

The old saying goes, When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. However, the people of Bell Buckle have been given lemons and are serving up a 55-pound lemon MoonPie for their festival. MoonPie has brought back their lemon flavor for the first time in a decade just as we see the return of the festival.

Oh my gosh, are we back in business, said Billy. Weve never seen this much excitement. People want to come back to the normalcy of their life.

In the return of the American festival, Paul Bunyon Days is set for 2022, the Florida Seafood Festival is back in November, and Deltarado Days is in just a few weeks.

This is the crowning glory right here, said Mama Phillips, sprinkling powdered sugar over some fresh fried pies. Ive been blessed in my life here in Bell Buckle.

Mama is there for encouraging words as much as shes there to serve up a delicious pie.

What keeps you going is looking forward, said Mama Phillips. Dont look back. Keep going, looking for positive things that you can do, that you can share.

Many experts are accelerating their forecasts for when our economy will return to normal.

According to Moody Analytics and CNN, our country is 88% back to its pre-pandemic economy with states like Idaho and South Dakota having economies performing better than before COVID-19 hit.

We are certainly in the right place to have a speedy and quick reopening and recovery, said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

If you think back to last year, we heard a lot about letters and how they were to predict our economic recovery from the pandemic, the U, the V, the K-shaped recoveries.

It's the K recovery and its widening disparity between the haves and have-nots that is the reason why things might get better faster than some had expected as it gives a portion of the population more money to stimulate the economys growth.

In January of last year, prior to COVID-19, the U.S. savings rate, or money stashed after bills and spending, was 7.9%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

When COVID-19 hit in March, that number rose to 12.6%, and then by a month later, in April when lockdowns began, that number rocketed to 32.2% as spending decreased by 12.6%.

We did decide that we would save more, that wed be more cautious about optional spending, said Denise King.

King and her husband, Darrell Beauford, were two of those people. They were not remiss to the immense hardships so many in the country were facing. The unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to nearly 14.8% in a matter of two months, but the couple figured if they could put some money away as an emergency fund, something they had never had before, they would.

Over the course of the next 12 months, King and Beauford were able to save $30,000 while donating more than $5,000 to charities benefiting those who were less fortunate.

When people are left out of the discussion or not invited to the table about economic recovery or putting in the resources, you do get concerned that some people will be left in the dust, said King.

But not only did savings rise, but debt also plummeted. According to a recent study by WalletHub, Americans were able to pay off $80 billion in credit card debt in 2020 and more than $56 billion in the first quarter of 2021.

The result is spending lots more as the country finally begins to shift its focus to something that resembles a post-pandemic norm.

Fiscal spending has been key to being able to speed up this recovery, said Gould. So, by my calculations, if we continue to go on the track that weve been going month after month, well see that we will actually be able to get down to 3.5% unemployment by the end of 2022.

According to Gould, the continued stimulus packages from Congress have been game-changers as they have provided continuous relief to people and businesses, rather than temporary relief from a one-time payment.

The more people spend, she says, the more businesses make, the more they can rehire staff, and the more those so-called have-nots can feel some relief.

After a 15-month wait, many business owners, performers and customers are reaching the long-awaited moment when they can get back to so-called normal.

The goal is to just try to entertain people, said Jason Montgomery, taking a break from furiously playing his piano keys. Once I hit that zone, theres no worries, man.

Montgomerys skill, energy and depth of emotion while playing piano all began with a familiar little tune.

I just loved the theme to Cheers! he laughed.

As a kid, the song Where Everybody Knows Your Name caught Montgomerys ear. Today, the lyrics about community just speak to him on a deeper level.

Places I go, it makes me feel like the TV show when I go in and play, said Montgomery. Everybody knows who I am when I go in. Its very much a people thing.

The piano man who loves to play it loud to a packed room suddenly found life very quiet in March 2020. His hometown of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, like so many cities across the country, came under stay-at-home orders. In the hardest days of the pandemic, Montgomery worried for those small businesses he knew so well that had long given him a stage to play.

I had no idea it was going to last this long, said Montgomery. One of my first thoughts was, some of these restaurants, theyre not going to make it. I thought it was over.

Waiting for America to reopen, Montgomery decided there was something he could do: four-hour live shows on Facebook, no cover charge. Montgomery kept playing as openings began, and the country started to get moving.

All of a sudden, it just went haywire, he said, remembering the Facebook Live shows. One night we had 48 states and Puerto Rico in the house!

Montgomery said to make no mistake, hes been waiting for whats happening right now.

Kentucky, Illinois, Vermont, and California have just reopened at 100% full capacity. Even now, there are more places that have not fully reopened. Washington is set for a 100% reopening June 30. Michigan, July 1. New Mexico, Oregon, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico dont have specific dates set but are expected to lift capacity limits when they hit certain vaccination rates.

Dang! Good to see yall! said Montgomery to a crowd, climbing onto a piano stool at the Harper House in Cadiz, Kentucky. Man, were going to start doing some songs.

As the country fully reopens state-by-state, Montgomery said he does appreciate his emoji-applause from the Facebook shows, but nothing beats a nighttime gig in a packed house where everybody knows-well, you know the line.

Kentucky is open! Its open for business! said one Harper House patron who came out to see Montgomery play. Its back to normal! Its not the new normal, it is normal.

It was a blessing to listen to him through COVID while we were stuck at home, being able to see it in person is even better, said another patron.

Nothing beats a live crowd, nothing, said Montgomery. To get back at it, Im very grateful to say the least. Very grateful.

SEATTLE, Wash. -- At Standard Goods, youll find Pacific Northwest gear and pop culture items. Owner Jeff Gardner started the local business six years ago.

I saw a need for this and Im like, Ya know, lets do it,'" Gardner said. "Nobodys doing like a young kind of modern store, and a lot of people like to be outside and be around other people and come into brick-and-mortar stores, so thats sort of why I did it.

Like many local businesses, Gardner took a big hit during the pandemic. There was a time when he could only sell online.

Running an online site is like running a whole other store," Gardner said. "Its expensive, its hard, you have to hire other people to do it, shippings expensive.

He says he values having a brick-and-mortar store and interacting with people, but when someone came to him with an opportunity to help online sales, he took it.

That help was Sook, a browser extension that lets online shoppers see the local products available in their own community.

I realized that theyre competing for the same consumers in the same way as massive corporations like Amazon, Walmart, said Jonathan Sandals, the founder of Sook.

With a background in marketing, Sandals knew local stores couldnt compete. So, he came up with the browser extension Sook, which means market in Arabic. When somebody is searching for an item online, Sook shows them all of the options within miles from their home. Its as simple as downloading the extension on Chrome or Firefox browsers.

Whats an easy, quick, one-click way for people to buy a better product thats five miles from their house from their neighbor than it is to buy something thats 5,000 miles away in a warehouse, Sandals said.

All he needs from the store is an address and website so he can add them to the database. Right now, hes not making a dime on his creation and he doesnt plan to. He says he created it because local businesses are the reason he loves the culture in Seattle.

They embody independent spirit, independent creations, and best of all community," Sandals said. "These arent just distant, faceless corporations with mass-produced products. These are unique creations created by your neighbor.

Gardner says Sandals is the only person who has come to him not asking to make a profit.

I sort of didnt believe it at first because everybodys trying to make money," Gardner said. "Everybody wants to build the next Uber and make a gazillion dollars, but hes been true to his word."

Sandals says Sook has been a passion project and he says dozens of other individuals have reached out happy to help for free. Sook is now in the largest cities of every state and available to anyone within 100 miles of those places.

The airline industry is seeing signs of recovery, and it's welcome news for businesses that rely on travelers.

Sunday marked the first time TSA screenings topped 1.8 million since the start of the pandemic.

If I look out the window, I see planes taking off. Of course not as often as they used to be," said Susan McMillion, owner at Bootstrap Kombucha in San Diego.

When McMillion opened her kombucha brewery six years ago, she took a chance on its location. They couldnt afford rent in a more walkable district, instead, landing on a space next to the San Diego International Airport.

We started out on a shoestring," said McMillion. "Thats basically why we call our company Bootstrap, because we've really started out with nothing."

With a 20-foot kombucha flag waving outside, the tasting room became a convenient stop for travelers touching down in the city or on layovers.

Theyll come in for a flight while theyre waiting for their flight," McMillion explained.

But with ongoing travel restrictions and a hesitancy to fly, the pandemic grounded roughly 30 percent of her customer base.

It was a very hard year for us. We let our employees go, and basically, I run the shop with my partner coming in after hours to help with some of the production. It was very difficult," said McMillion.

But in recent weeks, she's heard the sound of planes passing above more and more.

The San Diego Airport saw its busiest day of travel since the pandemic on Mother's Day. In anticipation of more travelers, they reopened the cell phone lot after closing it down more than a year ago.

In April, when we closed the cell phone lot, our passenger volume had decreased by 96 percent. So, we really didnt really have people coming to the airport," said Nicole Hall, senior communications specialist for the airport. "Giving people the option to go to the cell phone lot and make that experience coming to the airport a little easier, we wanted to provide that.

At airports worldwide, amenities like lounges, restaurants, and cell phone lots are reopening after more than a year.

As of May 18, TSA checkpoint numbers have surpassed 27.5 million passengers, up from nearly 3.5 million passengers this time last year.

It's safe to say, I think, that with people getting vaccinated, theyre feeling a little bit more confident," said Hall. "Were excited to see some of these things return to normal. Not everything, but we are excited to see some of these things return to normal."

But travelers can expect to see many health and safety changes remain as airports continue to follow federal, state, and local mandates.

"Wearing masks is essential; you must wear a mask in the airport. We also encourage people to social distance. All of the measures that we've taken to protect people are still in place," said Hall.

And she says the recovery still has a way to go. By this time in 2019, TSA screened nearly 43 million passengers.

But with each plane that passes by, McMillion is hopeful more customers from around the world will be stopping by her tasting room.

Our hours are going to start expanding now that things are opening up," said McMillion. "Look us up online, Bootstrap Kombucha. Have a flight, enjoy themselves, and spread the word!

At the bookstore Main Street Reads, stocked shelves provide a form of comfort food for the soul.

You can't even imagine how many classics that we've sold, said bookstore owner Shari Stauch. We think that it's because people wanted to gravitate towards something familiar, you know, in such an unfamiliar space.

Its an unfamiliar space navigated by everyone during the past year, including Stauch. We first met her a year ago, when the pandemic put the survival of her small business at stake.

It was terrifying for really for all the businesses, she said. So, we did a lot of things to kind of keep the community out and about and know that we're here.

While the country tries to get back to normal, small businesses may have an even longer road back to normalcy.

According to Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based economic data tracker, when compared to January 2020, before the pandemic, the number of small businesses open in the U.S. is down by double-digits in nearly every state.

In South Carolina, where Main Street Reads is located, its down by 26%; in Ohio, -30%; in Florida and Arizona, -31%; in Colorado, -32% and in California, -36%. In Michigan, its down nearly 40%.

Across the country, small business revenue is down nearly 29% since the pandemic began. Sectors hit especially hard include leisure and hospitality, where small business revenue is down 51%.

It has been very, very difficult for small businesses, said John Cui, a business professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Cui said that during the pandemic, vulnerable small businesses faced two options.

You can either adapt or you can retreat, he said.

Many chose the latter, cutting their losses and selling what assets they could.

Individually speaking, they are not as prominent as big companies that we hear about every day, but they are so important to the economy and they are so important to people's livelihoods, Cui said.

So, what is there to do?

Cui said more government intervention geared towards small businesses may be needed.

Government has to come up with something helpful, something fair, everybody has to agree with, Cui said. And then, it takes time.

Yet, time that may have run out for some. For those that pulled through, theres gratitude for their customers and fellow small business owners.

I think what we really learned, Stauch said, is that we all have something to teach each other.

Its a lesson learned in lean times.

The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton is back open, making it one of the first theaters in the county to launch a full-scale production during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The iconic venue, located at 7901 North Federal Highway, is now showing the Tony Award-winning musical "A Chorus Line," which runs through May 30.

The production first opened at The Wick Theatre in March of last year, right before the venue was forced to close because of the pandemic.

Now more than a year later, the theater's managing executive producer Marilynn Wick is restaging the beloved musical, which celebrates the lives and hard times of the gypsies of the theater.

"In reopening, we have taken the health and safety of our cast and patrons very seriously," Wick said. "We have had several limited run productions during the past few months, in addition to our Cabarets, and we created guidelines that have been very successful."

Wick said that during performances, guests will be seated in a socially distanced manner and must wear face masks.

"The phones are ringing again," Wick said. "There is an optimism in the air, and I am looking forward to when the lights are back on in theatres all over the country."

"I looked at that stage and it was an emotional moment," said Ray Kennedy, who joined The Wick Theatre two months ago.

Kennedy said the last year has been difficult with little to no work in the industry

"One thing you find out in a pandemic is you find your joy," Kennedy said.

The theater is only operating at 50% capacity, but Wick said they hope as more people get vaccinated they can allow more people in.

"We went through all the mechanics into making this place the healthiest place possible," Wick said.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Taste and See South Florida

Tickets for "A Chorus Line" are $75 to $95. You can purchase them by calling the box office at 561-995-2333 or by clicking here.

The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, and Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami have all reopened for shows as well.

As the weather warms up, people are getting out: out of town, that is.

It's like somebody turned the faucet on and there was no trickle. It just came on full force, said Michelle Woodhull, president of Charming Inns and Circa 1886 Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, which includes the 19

century Wentworth Mansion.

However, surviving a 21

century pandemic may have been its biggest challenge yet.

We had to lay off, unfortunately, about 85% of our workforce, one of the most difficult things I've had to do in my career and certainly unexpected, Woodhull said.

The unexpected didnt stop there.

When travel picked up earlier this year, Woodhull ran into two problems: a shortage of employees, about a quarter of their workforce, and a lack of job applicants.

We personally, as well as other businesses in the area, have had to limit our reservations in the restaurant, for example, or at the hotels, because we simply don't have the staff to accommodate the demand, she said.

Tourism is a huge part of the economy in Charleston and the demand for employees is so strong that the hospitality industry is offering $500 sign-on bonuses, like for hotel housekeeping staff, just to get people hired.

Its not just a problem in Charleston, but also across the country, as the busy summer travel season approaches. According to the U.S. Labor Department, hotels in the U.S. are off by at least 600,000 employees compared to last year, before the pandemic.

I say it's a crisis, said Daniel Blumenstock, a board member of Explore Charleston and the director of hotels for Lowcountry Hotels, which is also feeling the labor shortage in the hospitality industry. I could hire probably 85 people right now. It's probably one-third of our workforce is missing at the moment - and I would hire them today if they walked in the door and applied for a position.

However, after a recent hospitality industry job fair, he only found six hires. Whats behind it all? There are a few theories.

In many, many states across our nation, the government assistance is providing income for people not to work, Blumenstock said. And our goal is, is to put people to work.

Woodhull, who is also president of the Lowcountry Hospitality Association, also saw other reasons for employees not returning.

We lost some people due to the pandemic, to other industries, because they didn't know when their job was going to come back, she said.

Yet, now those jobs are back, along with travelers expectations, they hope to meet.

Everybody needs a break every once-in-a-while, Woodhull said, and needs to get away.

As more states and cities ease COVID-19 regulations in businesses and sporting events, people are coming across one major problem: getting there.

There is a massive shortage of rental cars, and major rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber are offering heavy incentives for drivers so they can overcome their own shortages.

According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, production last year dropped 19 percent in the U.S. Some in the industry called it the worst crisis to ever impact the automotive industry.

The drop in cars led to a drop in rental availability. Models in rental company lots were older and they were scarce, and if you absolutely had to rent, prices were inflated.

All of those drops have led to a rise in profits for current ridesharing drivers like Uber and Lyft.

Trying to stop for lunch is virtually impossible, said Jerry MacKissock, who has been driving for a rideshare company since late March. Youve got two miles to go on your ride and they are dinging you to do another ride.

Since MacKissock started, he says his weekly profits have steadily risen. In the week ending April 19, he says he earned $1,300 for driving 46 hours.

It has been extraordinary, said MacKissock. The expectation was to replace the money I was making when I retired and its been three times that.

It does not hurt that Uber and Lyft have promised massive incentives to overcome their own shortages. Drivers stopped driving because of slower pandemic business. which has not helped accommodate the 80 percent rise in demand Lyft reported last month and 76 percent rise in demand Uber reported.

To help meet the demand, Uber said it will spend $250 million in incentives to drivers to attract more.

The $250 million driver stimulus will go directly to drivers who start driving again as well as new drivers who join Uber, said Uber spokesperson Kayla Whaling in an e-mailed statement. The money will take the form of special bonuses and new guarantees. It will be in place for the next several months. This is to help meet the returning rising demand, so we are reinvesting in bringing back drivers who are an essential part of their communities and have been vital in delivering food and goods, and helping get their cities moving again.

With a long economic recovery ahead, business owners are getting creative to stay afloat.

Before the pandemic, San Diego chef Avonte Hartsfield was on his way to opening a restaurant. He set out to do vegan food differently: plant-based comfort food that's not processed.

I cant eat an Impossible Burger every day, but I can for sure eat an oyster mushroom every day," said Hartsfield. Thats our whole mission here: eat less meat."

But with menu items like fried mac and cheese balls and a buffalo chicken sandwich loaded with fries, he says it's not necessarily healthy.

"We dont even label it as vegan, for the most part, just because its just good food," said Hartsfield. Food is something that connects everybody.

He was selling the plant-based creations at farmer's markets but was forced to put the business on hold when COVID-19 shut markets down.

A few months later, he put his entire savings into a food truck that he named Rollin Roots.

It was nothing else but survival," said Hartsfield.

For now, his dream of having a restaurant is delayed. But like a good meal, he found a connection during the pandemic.

Hes probably the number one regular, Hartsfield said, referring to his new partner in business, Sean Harris.

Harris is the owner and cider maker of Serpentine Cider in San Diego. He opened in 2017 with a unique strategy to cut costs and bring in more customers.

The way I figure is, we have this massive space," said Harris. "Theres no reason for me to be the only one here when I can share it with multiple people.

So, he found business roommates to share the space with; it's a model which helped them survive months of shutdown orders.

All of a sudden, your profits go to zero," said Harris. "And you have no idea whats going to happen in the next week.

When space in the kitchen opened for a new business roommate, Rollin Roots was the perfect fit.

People are hoping some of their landlords will give them partial rent, 25 percent off or something. And just right off the bat, were getting 66 percent off," said Harris. We have three businesses in here that are paying rent and utilities. Were able to split it."

Harris says it's important for business roommates to share the same vision and have discussions ahead of time to make sure they will work well together.

"Just like other roommates, you can have nightmare roommates, and that would be terrible. Having a business you have started from the ground up and then have to share it with someone who you just dont work well and dont mesh with," said Harris.

He vetted 15 candidates before deciding to move forward with Hartsfield.

It will take some time, but its well worth it," said Harris. Its a lot better when youre looking out for each other.

As for their visions aligning, Harris sources local ingredients like pumpkins and raspberries for his hard cider recipes. They're low in sugar and have no artificial ingredients.

"We're very similar in how we see the world, the changes we want in the world. And we both feel that it's up to us as individuals to make that change. And we as small business owners have that opportunity, that not a lot of people do, to work with the environment and work with the community and help with that change," said Harris.

A year after closing at the start of the pandemic, a downtown West Palm Beach restaurant is back open for business.

SPECIAL Coverage: Rebound South Florida | We're Open

Located along Olive Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach, Monday was a big day for the Hideout Kitchen and Caf.

When owner Petro Bikos opened the doors to his breakfast and lunch place, he admitted it was more than a little stressful.

"Definitely anxious, excited and nervous. I couldn't sleep last night, just wondering how the day would go," Bikos said.

The caf, nestled in between the Palm Beach County Courthouse and Administration Building, had closed in 2020 when it was Tina's Caf.

During the year it was closed, he said it was an opportunity to renovate and rebrand the place. He only received a one-month break on rent and was unable to qualify for aid, forcing him to pay for expenses out of pocket.

"I felt bad closing the store, I had a good crew with me, and unfortunately after being closed a year it's hard to find people to work right now," Bikos said.

An estimated 110,000 restaurants across the country have closed permanently since the pandemic began, but Bikos is happy to be serving customers again.

"Hopefully all (the customers) we had pre-COVID, and the following we had here before starts to come back, so that's what we're hoping for," Bikos said.

His customers mostly come from the surrounding government buildings, including the courthouse and county administration.

Marisol Alers works in a law office a few blocks away from the restaurant.

"We missed him when the pandemic happened, and they had to close down. It was very devastating," Alers said.

"It means a lot, it really does. It makes your day better because you dont have to go so far for lunch," said county employee Cathy McAleer.

Being closed for a year is something most restaurants could not recover from, but Bikos believes it's now a step toward getting back to normal.

Bikos said he now hopes there are enough downtown workers back in offices, and they know he is back open.

"The people that came back this morning from the offices told us how much they miss us and glad to see we're back open," Bikos said.

The unemployment rate is still almost double what it was pre-pandemic, and at least 9 million Americans are unemployed. So, why are restaurants around the country struggling to find workers?

The restaurant industry has never been an easy business.

Ive been in the restaurant business since high school, said Fred Morgan.

Morgan has spent most of his life managing restaurant chains around the country, but eight years ago, he decided to start a small pizza chain of his own.

We opened our first three locations in the first four months and havent really looked back, said Morgan.

His business, Fired Pie, has grown to 21 locations in Arizona in the first seven years. At the beginning of last year, Morgan was about to expand to other states.

Then, of course, the pandemic hit, and thank goodness for the first PPP loan, it really saved us, he said.

When vaccines started to roll out and states like Arizona allowed indoor diningfirst at 50 percent and now 100 percent--Morgan was excited to ramp back up and hire more staff again.

All of a sudden, we weren't getting any applicants, he exclaimed.

He has 60 positions open. All of the jobs are paying above minimum wage, and some are well-paying salaried and management positions. Yet, he cannot get enough people applying for the roles to fill them.

It is really shocking, he said. It is across our industry right now

Despite high levels of unemployment nationwide, reportedly at least 9 million Americans are unemployed. Restaurant associations are reporting this trend across the country.

The top three reasons why former employees and potential new ones are not applying include:

Some people were very concerned, you know, they lost their job, got let go, and had no means, said Morgan. "And they are afraid to come back to this industry.

The volatility of the restaurant industry may have scared many people away from continuing a career in it. Some have decided to transition to fields that have thrived during the pandemic.

However, Morgan and other restaurant owners are hoping to lure some back. Morgan has offered to give bonuses, pay for the commute to work and pay higher wages. Hes drawn in a few new members, but its not enough.

Now, Morgan is hoping for state and local leaders to organize return-to-work incentives. Without that, he may have to close some locations and closures are the opposite of what the restaurant industry needs.

U.S. jobs are bouncing back strong, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor. Not only did the country see the most job creation last month since the start of the pandemic, but the industries that lost the most jobs saw some of the biggest improvements.

According to the report, the U.S. gained 916,000 jobs last month, which is far more than the 675,000 jobs that analysts expected.

More importantly, on top of that 900,000, more than 100,000 jobs were added in January and February with upward revisions, said Mark Hamrick, the senior economic analyst with Bankrate.

These industries saw the most job growth in March:

Here is the deal: we still have basically 10 million Americans who are still officially listed as unemployed, said Hamrick. "So, just to get those jobs back, we basically need to do the same number of jobs added in March for each and every month over the next 10 months.

Analysts are now adjusting their expectations for Aprils job growth, expecting 1 million more jobs to be added this month. That is, in part, due to the strong recovery seen in March and the CDCs latest guidance on travel.

For federal authorities to basically say, youre good to go if you are fully vaccinated as long as you wear a mask, that is likely not only going to be a green light for travelers but for authorities who might be at the state or local level inclined to impose restrictions, explained said Hamrick.

Essentially, the guidelines are expected to lead to an even stronger job bounce back this month in the airline, hotel, restaurant, and local tourism industries. Looking a bit further, though, experts, like Hamrick, believe an even bigger Jobs wave is to come with President Joe Bidens proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill.

By spending money on infrastructure, first, you are going to help individuals--many of whom do not have a college education--to work in the skills professions that are needed to get that work done. That helps to address both income and wealth disparities, Hamrick explained. I dont think it is a stretch at all to say it will result in millions of jobs if passed.

If passed, Hamrick expects the manufacturing and construction industries to see the largest job growth, with billions allocated to improve America's roads, rails and bridges.

Then, tech is expected to see the next largest need for new workers, with the billions more budgeted for improving broadband.

You may not pay attention to where your burgers come from, but for the meat processing industry, COVID-19 has shed light on some of the issues the supply chain faces for both big and small companies.

I founded the company in 1990, Geoff Latham, president and CEO of Nicky USA, said.

Nicky USA is a small meat processor and distributor in Oregon. When we visited, the building was busy cutting, packing, and sending off meats. The demand for processing hasnt gone away since the start of the pandemic; its actually increased.

Our processing plant has been the heart and soul of me and my company and really excelled at that time. Our distribution was suffering but our processing plant, the demand skyrocketed for the plant, Latham said.

Last year, the pandemic shook Americas food supply chain as restaurants closed and groceries saw a spike in demand. Meat processors were included.

We had to turn away a lot of business in the processing side just because we only had so many hours per day we could get done, Latham said.

Where those meats ended up changed.

When COVID-19 hit, we were 85 percent restaurants, zero direct to consumer, and about 15 percent was...butcher shops and retailers, he explained.

Now, Latham said restaurants are only 45 percent of his businesses, and 10 percent comes from a new direct-to-consumer model.

It doesnt seem like much, but its a very important 10 percent of what we do, he explained. A really big part of our survival has been the support of direct to consumer.

COVID-19 shook up a lot of industries, and small processing facilities happened to benefit in some ways.

Over the last year, theres really been a surge of demand for those, David Anderson, livestock economist and professor at Texas A&M University, said.

Anderson is referring to these smaller plants.

They may not have an open date until next year, 2022, so there has been a surge in demand for those services and those are very small plants, he said.

Meanwhile, large plants were dealing with their own problems, including COVID-19 outbreaks that received attention from the federal government and national news.

When COVID hit and the big packing plants were getting written up in the paper, hundreds and hundreds of people getting sick. It really temporarily stopped the supply chain, which most people don't realize is just so massive, Latham said.

The CDC reported almost 5,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 in 225 facilities across the U.S. Outbreaks at larger plants caused a ripple effect.

Just as an example, we saw prices skyrocket when we had a COVID outbreak in the Midwest, and all of a sudden, beef is $3 to $4 more expensive here in Oregon, Latham said. It really emphasized how important it is to maybe decentralize some of our production in this country.

Latham said more local production is the solution.

The more you can buy regionally, the better it mitigates prices going up and down that dramatically, he said.

However, Anderson said, while hes seeing more of these small facilities doing well, the larger plants still have a purpose.

The reason food is so cheap is because those places are so big, he said. Big plants have much lower costs than little plants, so if we took that a step further and went to a system with a lot of little plants, our food is going to cost a lot more.

I just believe that COVID made people realize how important it is to support your local people, Latham said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many people to suffer from isolation, especially those with special needs who aren't always able to comprehend big changes in their day-to-day lives.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Rebound South Florida | We're Open

After about a year of being closed because of the pandemic, a special Jupiter business that employs adults on the autism spectrum is back open and returning some normalcy into the lives of those who work there.

"Basically, my customers were starting to complain and they said, 'How come you're not open? Everybody else is.' And I said, 'You know, it's time, and we can do it safely now,'" said Valerie Herskowitz, owner of the Chocolate Spectrum.

The red neon light in the window of the shop located off Indiantown Road is illuminated again and inside, the mixing and measuring of ingredients have resumed.

Herskowitz said she and her son Blake are happy to be back. She opened the shop five years ago after seeing the lack of work opportunities for those with autism, like Blake. No one could have imagined that a few years later a pandemic would shut things down.

"Because our shop is so small, we really couldn't figure out a way to do it safely in terms of social distancing even with masks," Herskowitz said.

Herskowitz has been vaccinated and her son is halfway there, a big reason she said she was ready to reopen.

"I'm having all my staff get vaccinated, so I feel a little more comfortable. Plus, we put up the barriers, the plexiglass glass barriers, so from a customer perspective we have that protection," Herskowitz said.

The shop is still operating on limited hours and the educational programs have not yet resumed. But just in time for Easter and for the start of Autism Awareness Month, the Chocolate Spectrum is in business and ready for customers to get truffles, Easter bunnies and more.

Herskowitz said whether you come in or order for curbside pick-up, you're supporting her combined labor of love: chocolate-making and helping individuals with special needs.

"We really need the sales to stay open. There's no doubt, especially, because our other revenue streams have not returned yet, so we are doing Easter this week," Herskowitz said.

Visit the Chocolate Spectrum in the Jupiter West Plaza located on Indiantown Road.

Click here for more information on the modified store hours and pick-up orders.

A local catering business stopped in its tracks when the COVID-19 pandemic began, but the owners were able to rebound.

CheeseBoarder in West Palm Beach shops cheese and charcuterie, working with Goldbelly.com

The owners of CheeseBoarder started out in the catering business in the equestrian world, catering events for celebrities in town and for other local events.

They have many years of experience.

"We are a local catering company and weve been around for 15-plus years, and most of our staff has been with us about 10-plus years," said co-owner Aaron Menitoff.

They were successful, but then Menitoff said the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

"When COVID hit and all of the events started canceling, we decided to pivot," Menitoff said. "We thought about how can we expand our business model where we can go farther than our trucks can drive, and thats where nationwide shipping came in."

The charcuterie boards were already a part of the events they catered. So the owners thought, why not ship them to customers all over the country?

"It's allowed us to stay in business and allows everybody to keep their jobs," Menitoff said. "Forbes put us on their 2020 holiday gift guide which is a boost for us."

Nonly was Menitoff able to keep his 10 employees employed during the pandemic, but his company is also helping a local organization.

"We offer greeting cards like these," Menitoff said.

Menitoff said 100% of the proceeds from selling these cards from The Arc of Palm Beach County will go back to the arc, an organization that helps individuals with developmental disabilities.

CheeseBoarder is a company that has found success for themselves and for others during the pandemic.

"I wouldnt say its a replacement for what we do for catering. We love our clients, we love our business that we do there, but now we have another revenue stream. When catering comes back, now we are going to have two companies," Menitoff said.

To learn more about CheeseBoarder, click here.

When it comes to bowling, hitting the pins often comes down to skill and, sometimes, a little luck.

When you're losing money, every dollar that you can bring in helps stretch out the possibility of you making it, said Rick Novak, owner of the Royal Family Bowling Center, which is nearby Royal Cinemas in the town of Front Royal, Virginia.

The two small businesses require people to survive.

Initially, it started off very slowly, Novak said.

The pandemic restrictions initially shut down both businesses, before leading to the more limited numbers allowed recently. He held on to his employees, but it hasnt been easy.

I am frustrated at the moment, he said. I don't really know what to do exactly, but I know that just this isn't working.

There are more than 30 million small businesses in America and the pandemic has not been kind to many of them. More than 160,000 small businesses have closed because of COVID-19.

We were hearing from a lot of small business owners that were struggling and didn't know kind of where their voice was being heard, said Victor Rogers, who along with several other business partners, stepped in to form the Alliance to Save the American Dream.

Its a nonprofit that through an online portal offers resources and helps to connect small business owners around the country with each other, allowing them to exchange ideas and offer advice on weathering the COVID-19 era.

We're small businesses helping small businesses, Rogers said. There's an old adage that says, You don't follow general who doesn't have scars. So, we have kind of experienced our own life experiences and business experiences and we want to share those and what works.

Among those small business owners who tapped in: Rick Novak.

They're sharing tips and tricks that others have used, he said. I mean, one of the neat things that's come out of all this is that we are all talking to each of her more, even as competitors we're like, Hey, I tried this. You should try it.

Novak hopes that with vaccine rollouts, people will begin venturing out more, especially to movie theaters, which are a tough sell right now.

There are lots of folks that are still frightened, Novak said. But I really think that people want to get out of their homes.

Every day is a new day at Badfish, one of the newest businesses to open in Palm Beach County.

"These ones are imported from Indonesia," said Alexa Borrego.

The store specializes in aquatic plants and freshwater tropical fish. Yet, the most interesting find in it is the owner.

"They are from Brazil and these are the first ones to ever come into Florida," said Borrego as she explained her collection from around the globe.

The 23-year-old never strayed from her dream, even at an early age.

"If you asked me when I was 6 years old, I would have told you I want to own a pet store," she said.

Fresh out of college, she wasted no time putting that dream into reality. Despite the naysayers, who thought why now in the middle of a pandemic.

"It was definitely scary, but I felt like now or never thing, the timing might never be perfect, so I took the shot," said Borrego.

She signed a lease three days before the lockdown, spent six weeks renovating and opened in June with a lot of determination. Now, months later, her passion is bubbling with excitement.

The long hours, the extensive cleaning process, the logistical challenges of importing fish from across the globe never stopped her. Instead, it fed her motivation to keep going day after day.

"They come at least once a week," said Borrego. "They're regular customers and they're really the people who keep my business here."

The local shop is spawning local customers in the middle of one of the worst economic times this county has ever seen. Yet, for this young entrepreneur born and raised in Florida, opening in a pandemic has filtered a "sink or swim" mentality keeping her right with the current.

Borrego spent her life growing up hanging headfirst off the dock trying to catch anything in her net, so it is no surprise she caught momentum last year and filled aquariums.

Badfish Florida is located at 9088 Alternate A1A in North Palm Beach.

The store is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays to Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Sundays and Mondays.

For more information, call Badfish at 561-855-4859.

60 new employees were hired at Okeechobee Steakhouse's latest concept; Okeechobee Prime Seafood.

The Lewis family said it was a risk to open during the coronavirus pandemic.

"This is a challenge this is something, this is something we really had to back up and punt about. Definitely a gamble, definitely taking [a] risk but we feel it's a risk worth taking for sure," said owner Ralph Lewis.

The family said their goal is to use as much local fish as possible.

"Were sourcing as much as we can from local fishermen - Florida lobster, pompano, snapper, whatever is available fresh and seasonal from local sources. As availability or seasonality dictates, we will also source from other regions beyond our Florida waters," said Lewis.

Like the steakhouse, Prime Seafood will offer a free birthday dinner of Flounder with Lobster stuffing with the purchase from their dinner menu of an adult entre of equal or greater value.

The 138-seat restaurant opened Friday.

The decor is inspired by the ocean, "The steakhouse has warm lighting, exposed wood and brick interior, and historical artwork that nods to the nostalgia and traditions the steakhouse has been known for nearly 75 years. The ocean-inspired seafood restaurant has deep blue, high banquette seating, and lighting, and artwork that nod to underwater marine life and old Florida lifestyle. Stone accent walls and the back-lit bar add drama to the space," said Okeechobee Prime Seafood spokesperson.

There is a terrace called "The Barn" that serves as a lounge area for customers waiting for tables. It serves appetizers and cocktails which will eventually have a happy hour daily from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

The venue is located directly behind the Okeechobee Steakhouse and is one of four concepts.

Okeechobee Steakhouse

2854 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Okeechobee Prime Meat Market

1959 Wabasso Dr, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Okeechobee Prime Barbecue Pop Up

1959 Wabasso Dr, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Okeechobee Prime Seafood and The Barn

2888 Shawnee Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Florida Red Snapper Filets with Brown Butter Lemon Sauce

This week marks one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Just under a year ago, restaurants started shutting down and jobs were lost.

"Good human beings that did nothing wrong," said Lee Morris, Culinary Director and General Manager of 1000 North in Jupiter.

Annie Blake, co-owner of Death or Glory Bar in Delray Beach remembered, "We decided to close Death or Glory before we were required to." "We thought we could shut down for a month and make [the coronavirus pandemic] go away," said Blake.

The Delray restaurant offered each full-time employee a thousand dollars towards rent.

Ashley Amann, a sever at Death or Glory bar, said in 2020 "How do you feel anything except extreme gratitude?"

"We think of our employees as family," said Blake. The restaurant giving $25,000 towards rent, a gesture to help her struggling work family.

"To have to say, 'Thank you, you guys have done an amazing job and now none of you have one,'" sobbed Blake in 2020.

"It's an amazing thing and it shows how much they care about us," cried Amann.

In 2020, 1000 North in Jupiter furloughed 115 employees.

Ira Fenton, the Managing Partner of 1000 North, said in 2020 "[Employees are] the most valuable asset."

The restaurant gave out $57,000 in cash and care packages.

"Making sure 1000 North employees were taken care of even though they were at home [and] they couldn't come to work," said Morris. "[While they weren't working the care package said,] 'We still care about you, this is from us to you and it's paid off with dividends, I think, in the long run.'"

1000 North and Death or Glory says 90% of their workforce returned.

"[The pandemic] definitely put a dent in my bank account (laughs)," said Amann.

And both businesses revenues are down by 30%

"We're operating at a point now where we can pay our bills and we can pay our staff and that's good enough, right now," said Blake.

A Facebook group was created last year to help support South Florida restaurants during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

One year later, creator John Brewer said the group is still helping.

Brewer said he created the "Socially Distanced Supper Club" in Delray Beach one week after St. Patrick's Day.

He said they started with a "flash mob" mentality to help plan a day when people would go order to-go at a certain restaurant.

"J&J Seafood went from doing like five dinners to 65 the first time, and we're like, 'OK, we we're onto something here,'" Brewer said.

The idea quickly spread to other cities, from local supper clubs being created in Boca Raton and Orlando to supper clubs being created in California and New York.

Brewer, who still works a day job, said the supper club has turned into the best part of his life.

The owner of Caesar's Jerk and Famous Ribs in Delray Beach said he connected with Brewer last spring and got a shoutout on the Facebook page.

"Our business went through the roof the next week," Bill Caeser said.

Ceasar said they had just opened their brick-and-mortar location when shutdowns started, and the supper club has helped him stay open the last year.

Brewer said they have more than 16,000 members in the Delray Beach supper club, and his next goal is to build an app that can be used by all the members has better help the restaurants.

He adds the best part about the supper club has been the community and the support for South Florida businesses.

"We were kind of this hub that kind of brought everybody together," Brewer said.

In Tradition, residents and business owners alike are beginning to return to a sense of normalcy.

Food Truck Fridays has returned after being forced to shut down nearly one year ago due to COVID-19.

"It's a sense of normalcy. It's encouraging," said Marsha Cummings, Lifestyle Director at Tradition. "The food truck vendors are anxious to come back."

Friday was the first time the event was held since the beginning of 2020.

"They were struggling," said Cummings. "Very few food trucks had any business at all over the last year."

Cummings said residents were also pushing for the gourmet trucks to return.

"We're really excited for this," said resident Linda Allen. "I always give a tip. I know that they need the support."

At the event were 15 different trucks that served a variety of foods ranging from hibachi-style chicken and rice to lobster rolls and Philly cheesesteaks.

"We're expecting the first and the third Fridays to be back like it used to be, you know, really the end of '19, in the very beginning of 2020," said Cummings.

The Lewis family, owners of Okeechobee Steakhouse, are opening their fourth venture; Okeechobee Prime Seafood focused on local and regional seafood.

"Were sourcing as much as we can from local fishermen - Florida lobster, pompano, snapper, whatever is available fresh and seasonal from local sources. As availability or seasonality dictates, we will also source from other regions beyond our Florida waters," said an Okeechobee Prime Seafood spokesperson.

The 138-seat restaurant will have its grand opening on Friday, March 5 at 5 p.m.

The decor is inspired by the ocean, "The steakhouse has warm lighting, exposed wood and brick interior, and historical artwork that nods to the nostalgia and traditions the steakhouse has been known for nearly 75 years. The ocean-inspired seafood restaurant has deep blue, high banquette seating, and lighting, and artwork that nod to underwater marine life and old Florida lifestyle. Stone accent walls and the back-lit bar add drama to the space," said Okeechobee Prime Seafood spokesperson.

There is a terrace called "The Barn" that serves as a lounge area for customers waiting for tables. It serves appetizers and cocktails which will eventually have a happy hour daily from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Like the Steakhouse, there will be the Okeechobee Prime Seafood Birthday/VIP program in which the restaurant will buy a fish dinner with the purchase from their dinner menu of an adult entre of equal or greater value.

The venue is located directly behind the Okeechobee Steakhouse and is one of four concepts.

Okeechobee Steakhouse

2854 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Okeechobee Prime Meat Market

1959 Wabasso Dr, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Okeechobee Prime Barbecue Pop Up

1959 Wabasso Dr, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Okeechobee Prime Seafood and The Barn

2888 Shawnee Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Just in time for spring break, Universal's Volcano Bay water park reopened on Feb. 27. The park closes seasonally for four months.

Current Ticket Offers from Universal Orlando

Through the rough times of the pandemic there have been glimmers of hope with businesses that have adapted and succeeded.

One restaurant in Jupiter made it through on top but wouldn't have gotten very far without the help from the community it serves.

Reuben Thompson is a regular at Taylor Farmhouse Caf and said, Its a tight-knit group. Its like family, everybody sticks together.

Lisa Bernard eats there a few times a week and said, They kind of had our back so we wanted to have theirs.

Taylor Farmhouse Caf owner Elizabeth Taylor said, The community fiercely supported us from day one.

It's the only free-standing restaurant Jupiter Farms.

This is the only thing thats ever survived out here for a restaurant, said Thompson.

Flashback to March, 2020 when restaurants were ordered to only serve a take-out menu.

Taylor and her husband took a risk.

She said they told each other, If we can lower the prices and its affordable, if you can get the volume, then lowering the prices it offsets that. That definitely, definitely happened.

Our phone was going crazy, we could hardly keep up, said Taylor.

The result: not one employee let go and a community that answered the call.

Bernard says a social media call to action got her moving.

We told everyone at the barn where we board our horses that we got to start, make sure were going to this restaurant a couple times a week. So we made up for that and came more than a couple times a week, said Bernard.

Thompson is now going to help to add on to the restaurant.

Plans to expand include doubling the size of the outside deck.

It means the world to us because this is like, our area. Its like a little town here we all stick together and support them.

For more information about Taylor Farmhouse Caf, click here.

A new barbeque restaurant is now open in West Palm Beach.

Patrons were introduced to That's a Rack BBQ at Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach on Sunday.

It's the latest addition to the now 12 vendors at the 13,000 square foot complex located in the warehouse district.

The all-day event called "Bingo, Bourbon and BBQ" took place on the market's outdoor dining space known as the loading dock.

It's kind of the fad right now," said Joe Nuniz, general manager of Grandview Public Market. "The genre is barbecue and great-tasting barbecue, and that's what Grandview is all about is to give people their first step into making people's dreams become reality."

Grandview Public Market plans to host themed events every Sunday.

Going back into the office may look a lot different for Americans with new protocols designed to keep employees safe.

Working with seniors, safety during the pandemic was paramount for Right at Home senior care.

We provide a combination of companionship, homemaking services, as well as hands-on personal care, basically through end of life," said Lorette Oliver, owner of Right at Home in Northern San Diego.

She says business slowed down early in the pandemic with clients and caregivers concerned about the virus. But in the months that followed, seniors needed their help more than ever.

Not only did we still provide the same services we did previously, but companionship became even more important," said Oliver.

When COVID-19 testing was limited, Olivers team arranged appointments for caregivers, a costly undertaking, especially if they needed quick results.

Now, they're able to administer tests in the office.

"We have access directly in our office to rapid response tests at a much lower rate," said Oliver. "We dont have to send our caregivers out; they can come directly to us, and we can administer it and get the results much quicker."

Working with USA Rapid Test, they have different three COVID-19 tests: rapid antibody test, rapid antigen test, and a PCR mouthwash.

Oliver says they'll first use the antibody test to determine if someone has antibodies, indicating they were recently infected or if theyve developed immunity after infection.

The rapid response antibody test is very affordable for us, and nine times out of 10 our tests are negative," Oliver said.

We have a purpose of getting America back to work again," said David Lee Jensen, founder and CEO of USA Rapid Test.

The Florida entrepreneur says he wanted to make it easier for businesses to reopen.

In the beginning, we asked, 'What do you need? What do you want?' Entrepreneurship is solving a problem that people have," said Jensen.

Developed in the United States, Jensen says all of the tests have received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA. His company also provides guidance on protocols and tips on how to roll out a testing program.

We have videos. We have information. We have free downloads," said Jensen. "We provide as much information about protocol, not just selling tests.

The tests are typically delivered to customers the next day.

Oliver says the tests give both clients and caregivers peace of mind.

Its a lot easier to sleep at night, basically knowing that we have the resources that we need to quickly assess situations and safely move through solutions a lot quicker."

Even with the vaccine, Jensen anticipates the testing tools will be needed in the months ahead. He says some people do not want to get the vaccine, and others waiting for their second dose could still be susceptible to infection.

Mankind, as a whole, we know how to solve problems when our backs are against the wall, and I think a lot of business owners are doing that," Jensen said.

New research is showing racial bias in banking, particularly toward the fastest growing group of small business owners in the United States: Latinos.

Data collected by the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative shows Latino business ownership grew 34% over last 10 years compared to 1% growth from all other business owners.

In addition, Latino businesses grew revenue at a faster rate and Stanford Universitys research shows the growth is seen in all sectors, not just the service sector. Even more, the trend has been tracked across the U.S. in 45 out of the 50 US states.

However, despite the growth in the number of Latino-owned businesses and the growth in revenue from these businesses, Stanfords research shows a Latin-owned business is 60% less likely than a white-owned business to be approved for a loan from a major national bank.

The trend is hurting the continued growth of these business owners, but as Stanfords research shows, it is also hurting economic growth and national job growth.

The owner of Border X Brewery in California, David Favela, experienced the difficulties of obtaining a loan from a big bank despite years of successful revenue growth in his bushiness. Favela opened up the first Border X Brewery eight years ago, simply to brew beers with his family in a small, rented space.

We just wanted to make unique beer for ourselves and family, and the customers found us. Soon, started drinking all of our beer and we ran out of capacity, said Favela.

Within two months, the family pooled together resources to open a second Border X Brewery tap room and eventually a third as demand just kept growing.

In 2019, we nearly doubled our revenue, Favela explained.

At the beginning of 2020, Favela and his brewery were nominated for a James Beard award, one of the highest and most prestigious awards in the food and beverage industry. Even through the pandemic, it found ways to stay afloat.

We have been through three shutdowns. We have bounced back. We have pivoted and created new business models, said Favela.

Favela decided to continue capitalizing on its growth and further expand, it would need a loan from a major bank. Favela, prior to being business owner, was a managing executive in the tech sector. He holds an MBA from the University of San Diego and is a graduate of several Princeton and Stanford business programs. So, he understands what is typically necessary for a business loan. He was confident his background and seven years of revenue growth in the business would be more than enough to get secure a loan. However, his application was denied and said he was told, Your business is not bankable. The words stung and confused him.

He thought, Well why not? I mean there are a lot of businesses out there that, with a solid business plans and connections, they can get millions.

Stanfords study provided some possible answers to Favela and his experience. In addition, to the schools research showing a Latino-owner is 60% less likely to get approved for a loan in comparison to white counterparts, it also found that only 20% of Latino-owned businesses that applied for national bank loans over $100,000 obtained funding. About 50% of similarly positioned white-owned businesses obtain funding.

Theres lots of implications, in terms of the opportunity lost with not supporting Latino-owned businesses, said Marlene Orozco.

Orozco is the lead research analyst at the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, which conducted the study. Her research shows the lending disparity is not only hurting these business owners, but all of us.

We found that there would be an additional $1.5 trillion added to the U.S. economy if in fact this opportunity gap were closed, so you can see there is a lot of money being left on the table, she said. This also translates to another number, millions of jobs. Latinos are not just essential workers, given that they are starting businesses at a faster rate, theyre also employing Americans."

Stanfords research also shows recent SBA measures for loans specifically committed to minority businesses in the PPP loan program is a first step to equitable lending. However, there is also a substantial need for implicit bias training at big banks. Doing so will further continue and capitalize on the growth of the fastest growing sector of small businesses, Latino-owned businesses.

Charlie & Joe's at Love Street has been quietly open for a few weeks now and locals who knew went. The destination is being billed as "The Heart of Jupiter" and has unobstructed views of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.

Partners Joe Namath and Charlie Modica arrived on a boat named the Bystander, built in 1930, to cut the ribbon for Thursday's grand opening.

Inside the venue are four destinations which include a rooftop tapas bar, two restaurants and a seafood market featuring catches from just offshore.

Fishermen have unloaded their hauls at this location for more than 150 years and the duo said it was important to make sure they still had a dock to sell their fresh catches.

"The Native Americans [were] fishing here in the same area, so this is a very historic area and the commercial activity of the fishermen to me is very important," said Modica.

Boaters will be able to grab beer, sandwiches, salads, poke bowls and other supplies, all of which can be delivered to boats, picked up curbside or taken to-go.

Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath said he absolutely loves Jupiter for his Love Street project and wouldn't want it to be anywhere else.

"I love the blue skies as opposed to gray up north at this time of the year, especially. I started hating gray with the Oakland Raiders," laughed Namath.

WATCH: CHARLIE AND JOE CUT THE RIBBON

The namesakes said Thursday they only asked for one design change at the project concerning a giant Wahoo on top of the Lucky Shuck Oyster Bar & Taphouse. The pair wanted it facing the people eating at the restaurant instead of facing the Jupiter Inlet.

The Tacklebox Seafood & Supply Co.

Features fresh catches from local fishermen from the Jupiter coastline. In addition, boaters will be able to grab beer, sandwiches, salads, poke bowls, and other supplies. All of which can be delivered to boats, curbside, or picked up to-go.

Beacon

A high-end contemporary American grille that is chic but welcoming. The restaurant focuses on wood-fired Mediterranean cuisine and craft cocktails.

Topside at the Beacon

A rooftop bar with a tiki vibe elevated by tapas and the direct views of the Jupiter Lighthouse.

Lucky Shuck Oyster Bar & Taphouse

A laidback atmosphere with a raw bar, and over 20 local craft beers on tap. Their house beer is the Love Street Blonde Ale (ABV: 4.5% IBU: 21) from Barrel of Monks Brewing in Boca Raton.

Nearly a year has passed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. For many people who are still struggling, time has cost them everything.

However, a Palm Beach County business owner remains positive amid the tough times.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Rebound South Florida

Eleven years ago Pirates Well restaurant opened in Lake Park.

For owner Larry Marble, it was the culmination of hard work and determination. Three decades of experience taught him how to handle adversity, especially after what happened last year.

"When you get the call around St. Patricks Day that they're going to shut down the state, the first thing that goes through your mind is, 'How are you going to pay the bills?'" Marble said.

Not to mention 35 employees with families and bills of their own. A hard reality became apparent. Marble had to let everyone go. Pirates Well shuttered for five weeks.

"It was rough," Marble said.

He needed revenue, and a mortgage company was growing impatient. Soon take-out dining started, then a tent and outdoor dining went up. Plexiglass and touch-free menus adorned their pirate paraphernalia.

Marble said sales are down 15 percent, but it's manageable. What is not manageable are the new trends of the industry, he says.

"It's a struggle with finding help because I feel like there's a lot of service industry people who jumped ship," Marble said.

Those employees who came back had salaries reduced. Also, a new COVID-19 business model continues to get tweaked each day, including the menu.

"There's been food items that have not been available. There's been times when ground beef is over $7 a pound," Marble said.

He said he's lost a significant amount of money because of COVID-19, however, if you ask him how he feels about it, Marble will tell you that he's just happy to be open. He's also happy for his local customer base that keeps him open.

What he created in the community a decade ago as a local home spot for many, came back to pay off more than he could ever imagine over that last few months.

"We're just full of hand sanitizer and face masks, still serving great food," Marble said.

If you are interested in working at Pirates Well, call them at (561) 629-7020 or visit the restaurant's website.

States are rolling back COVID-19 restrictions, even as the federal government warns of highly contagious variants.

I think people honestly are starting to give up hope in a lot of ways, because it's been open, close, open, close," said Kimberly Prather, professor at UC San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Prather has studied aerosols for nearly 30 years and has been sharing her research with public health officials, like Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Were not medical doctors, but we do understand aerosols and how they float in the air like cigarette smoke," said Prather.

She says weve long known viruses can spread through droplets.

We describe them as mini cannonballs. They come out of your mouth and they just are following this downward trajectory," said Prather. "If someone coughs or sneezes on you, they can get in your nose or mouth, that can infect you. But if theyre just talking, there arent that many. And those that there are will fall to the ground very quickly."

But Prather says humans produce thousands of microscopic aerosols when speaking, which behave much differently than droplets.

"Aerosols, they dont care about 6 feet. Aerosols can fill a room," said Prather. The places where they impact things the most are indoor, crowded locations, poor ventilation, no mask.

In October, the CDC updated guidelines acknowledging airborne transmission can happen in poorly ventilated, enclosed spaces when people are more than 6 feet apart.

Months earlier, Prather was among 239 experts who wrote an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), urging the agency to issue appropriate warnings about the risks posed by aerosols.

Once we acknowledge this virus is airborne, which it is, its a very fixable problem. You can open, you can protect people," said Prather.

She says one of the easiest solutions is opening windows. HEPA filters can also be used to clean air, as well as making sure your HVAC system is not recirculating air.

Prather is encouraging businesses and schools to monitor indoor air with carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors. When humans breathe out CO2, it can build up in poorly ventilated spaces.

She carries one to places like the grocery store.

If that number starts getting above 800 ppm, now youre starting to breathe in other peoples breath, which is where the virus would be coming out," said Prather.

She says businesses in Japan display CO2 sensors in storefronts to reassure customers the air is fresh, which can be replicated worldwide.

Citizen scientists are documenting CO2 levels on airplanes, buses, and Uber rides, sharing photos on Twitter pages like @COGuerrillas.

Forensics Detectors, a company that makes CO2 detectors, documented rising CO2 levels in an Uber ride. In the video, chief engineer Dr. Koz says this threat can be minimized by rolling down windows and making sure the HVAC system is not recirculating air.

Prather recommends a sensor with NDIR technology and encourages consumers to read reviews before purchasing one. The devices can cost anywhere from $100 to $250, or even higher.

There is a way to know if your air is clean and if its not, theres a way to clean it," said Prather.

Dennis O'Connor, the founder of the 'Acre of Awesome' in San Diego, says his space is proving to be ideal in a pandemic.

"The space we took over is a really old industrial building. It has 26-foot high ceilings and three giant ventilation fans because they use make engines here and service vehicles," said O'Connor.

Yet, much of it remains closed due to public health mandates.

This space were sitting in now, Sideyard BBQ, this was our pivot during the pandemic," said O'Connor. Its really the only thing weve been able to open thus far, but Im really glad we did it. But we spent a lot of money turning what was really just somewhat of a parking lot into a fun, Texas-style outdoor BBQ venue.

They've also brought in revenue through their distillery, ReBru Spirits, using out-of-code and overstock craft beer to make small-batch spirits. O'Connor says the business model has proved invaluable during the pandemic as breweries forced to close grapple with an abundance of overstocked products. By working with ReBru Spirits, the product does not go to waste, and breweries avoid disposal fees.

Other restaurants and businesses haven't been able to pivot as easily.

Its been, its been catastrophic, to say the least," said O'Connor. The bar and restaurant industry, I think its going to be forever changed, just like traveling after 9/11."

Prather says layered solutions will be necessary to reopen safely and refers to the Swiss cheese model.

"Theres multiple ways to fix it. Any one layer kind of has holes in it; it's not perfect. But when you stack them together, you get a solid block of cheese, and thats how you protect yourself," said Prather. If we have low CO2 and you have your mask on, and youre more than 6ft apart indoors, you can feel pretty good just with that.

Many researchers say blanket closures arent based on science. And if we dont learn to live with the virus, the damage could be irreversible.

The nation's top infectious disease expert doesn't want Sunday's Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader event.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is cautioning against big Super Bowl watch parties, saying people should "just lay low and cool it."

SPECIAL COVERAGE: We're Open | Rebound South Florida

But that doesn't mean you can't safely celebrate the big game while also supporting South Florida restaurants.

Normally, Derrick McCray is getting ready to serve ribs at the Super Bowl this time of year. But this year, he won't be there due to the pandemic.

"All of the events have been cut in half or eliminated, or they are doing it through Zoom," McCray said.

McCray said his business, McCray's Backyard BBQ & Seafood, will be open for business at his 45th Street location.

"You can come right here enjoy the game drive-thru, walk-up. We will be doing social distancing and following the COVID guidelines on what's happening. But we will be right here and just trying to make the people happy," McCray said.

McCray's isn't the only restaurant doing something special on Super Bowl Sunday.

Other area restaurants are also gearing up for a big weekend. Duffy's Sports Grill has a Super Bowl menu.

"You pay $25, and you come in, and you get the seat of your choice. We want everybody to start blocking their seats off because they're going to go fast. And when you come in, you're going to have a drink on us, and you'll get a $10 bounce-back coupon, and then, in addition, you'll get some little bar snacks," said Lisa Speck, regional director of operations for Duffy's.

She said CDC protocols are in place, but there are specials for those who choose to dine at home and order online.

"We do have a Super Bowl package, a game day giveaway where you can party at home," Speck said.

Chef Julien Gremaud, the owner of Avocado Grill and Avocado Cantina in Palm Beach Gardens, said the full menu will be available at his restaurant Sunday.

"We have nachos. We have tacos. We're doing some Mexican version of chicken wings, and also some salsa and guacamole," Gremaud said.

If you are staying home for the big game, it is still an opportunity to support local establishments.

"Hopefully, they will order a lot of food from different restaurants instead of cooking," Gremaud said.

The Valvano's new business in unincorporated Lake Worth is quickly getting known for its giant cookies.

"We have a lot of kids from next door that come over after their practice and batting lessons and have our cookies," said Maria Valvano.

Sweet N Savory Gourmet Gifts offers 14 different varieties. "They're bigger than the palm of your hand," said Maria.

The business is giving them away to the kids hoping to get the word out about their new business which sells online gourmet gift baskets with custom messages and logos.

Jerry Valvano is co-owner with his wife. "We sell cheese and charcuterie, we sell gourmet cookies," he said.

It's a new business based on the couple's last business.

Maria said, "We started brainstorming what can we do with what we know."

"We tried to stay in business but all the distributors shut down," said Jerry.

The coronavirus caused them to shut their doors at their warehouse in Boca Raton because their clients weren't buying anymore.

They sold gourmet desserts, "To food distributors that then sold our pastries to big venues like hotels, country clubs, sports arenas anywhere you'd have a large gathering or large event," said Maria.

The family took a hard hit financially. They just bought their first house in Wellington before the pandemic.

"We lost everything and now we had to reinvent ourselves," said Jerry.

"We have everything from gifts, to corporate gifts, to anniversaries to birthdays, we have a little bit of everything. It's a gift company so it's for anyone," Maria said.

The couple admits marketing to consumers online isn't their strong-point.

"I can barely use the credit card machine," joked Jerry.

But he's still putting in long "sweet" hours every single day to get his new business up and running.

"We have to do what we have to do in order to get back on track again on where we used to be," said Jerry.

A Martin County business is surviving and still smoking after it had to pivot when it lost a huge chunk of its customer base during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, if you enjoyed a smoked fish dip at your favorite seafood restaurant, there's a chance it came from Mrs. Peters Smokehouse.

Housed in an unassuming building in Martin Countys Rio community, Mrs. Peters Smokehouse is celebrating its 90th birthday in 2021.

They crank out 3,500 containers of smoked fish dip daily.

"Its bringing a taste of old Florida to the customer," said owner Geary Stonesifer.

Stonesifer said when COVID hit, they suddenly lost their restaurant base.

"It was almost like turning off a light. The restaurants all shut down during the lockdown and we received absolutely no orders," Stonesifer said.

"We were surprised it kept going. We thought we would have to shut down a few days, a week," said general manager Margherita Hannon.

Unable to secure a small business loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, they reduced some of their employees hours temporarily, but didnt lay anyone off.

"It turned out that the business did pick up," Stonesifer said.

They soon discovered that with more people staying at home, dips were a popular supermarket buy, so they targeted growing their grocery store business.

While almost everything at Mrs. Peters Smokehouse is done the old fashioned way, the recent successes theyve had are requiring them to go a little more automated.

"So the mahi, mermaid, and wahoo will be going through and done per container through machines. Everything else will be done by hand since everything is made by hand here," Hannon said.

The dips are sold not just in Publix, but in other grocery stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts, which plan to take this Martin County product nationwide.

RAW VIDEO: H.G. Roosters' past, present, and the future of rebuilding

H.G. Roosters, the LBGTQ bar that had to close its doors because of a fire in May, is launching an effort to preserve its history.

AJ Wasson, the owner of H.G. Roosters, is asking the city of West Palm Beach for a historic designation for his bar for two reasons.

"They had a few challenges from a zoning and building standpoint where is actually where historic preservation comes in to benefit them," said Friederike Mittner, city of West Palm Beach historic preservation planner.

The preservation allows Roosters variances during reconstruction and tax exemptions for improvements. But it would also preserve the significant history for LGBTQ's in the Palm Beaches.

"It's the oldest gay bar in the state of Florida," said Julie Seaver, executive director of Compass.

Opening as a gay bar in 1965 serving as a haven for closeted gays.

"They couldn't be openly gay because they'd be ostracized by the community," Wasson said.

And to avoid hate crimes and harassment, they moved the entrance from the very busy Belvedere Road.

"So Gene put the side door in [near the back]," said Wasson.

"When you walked to Roosters, you'd be harassed from people driving by people driving by, and things would be thrown at you," said Rick Rose, a Palm Beach historian and author.

"That also points to the historic nature of the windows. In a way, it provided a certain sense of security perhaps," Wasson said.

"It was our safe space, a safe haven for LGBT folks to gather and socialize and pray and mourn the loss during the AIDS epidemic in the 80s and early 90s," Seaver said.

"It's a great historical site. This is not an opportunity for every building," Mittner said.

"The legacy of this building goes back to the mid-sixties, which is the same as the Stone Wall Inn in New York," Wasson pointed out.

Stone Wall is where the gay rights movement began.

"Police were raiding bars because they were gay," Seaver said.

This then led to riots in New York.

"We've never been just a business. We are a part of the community," Wasson said.

"[Roosters] has raised money for countless organizations," Rose said.

"We want to highlight the contributions to the community from a philanthropic standpoint and obviously a social justice cause," Mittner said.

"We don't want this to be apart of history that is gone. We want to keep Roosters," Wasson said.

To get the historical designation, there are a few more hurdles they have to jump. First, they have to go before the historical board on Feb. 23. Then in March and April, they go in front of city commissioners where the measure is expected to pass.

With the local designation, they will be joining around 50 other historical sites in West Palm Beach.

Many restaurants are staying open across the country, despite local and state mandates to keep their doors closed. Many say their survival depends on getting more business.

This years been a rollercoaster ride for sure," said Paula Vrakas, owner of The Roxy in Encinitas and Denver.

Every twist and turn is taking a toll on livelihoods and emotions.

Its been a roller coaster ride. The ups and the downs, not knowing from one day to the next whether youre actually going to be stocking the fridges or closed down two days later," said Tommaso Maggiore, owner of Encinitas Ale House.

Its been mentally and emotionally more than anyone should ever have to deal with," said Vrakas.

But for Vrakas, theres been one constant.

I would go to jail 100 times over for this staff," she said.

After shutting her Encinitas restaurant down, Vrakas reopened, despite state mandates ordering them to remain closed.

The reason was pretty simple: my staff would not be able to make their rent. It was that easy," said Vrakas.

In addition to their liquor license being threatened, she says theyve faced potential fines and criminal charges.

None of that mattered," said Vrakas. My staff is grateful. They show that by showing up. They show that by picking up shifts. They show that by working longer hours. they show that by being safe.

In recent weeks, hundreds of other businesses have followed suit, says attorney Michael Curran of Curran & Curran Law.

What we told them is open safely," said Curran.

He and his wife are offering free legal guidance to business owners nationwide who want to reopen.

We literally had a dozen or so of our restaurants say, 'If it wasnt for you guys, if it wasnt for this movement, we were going to turn in the keys. We were done,'" said Curran.

He says owners are keeping their businesses open as part of a constitutionally protected, peaceful protest.

And while California has lifted statewide COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and allowed restaurants to reopen, they're still limited to outdoor dining.

"Our goal is to get the restaurants, the salons, and the bars open, no conditions and doing it safely," said Curran.

Business owners say they recognize health challenges brought on by the pandemic but dont believe blanket policies are the solution.

If everybody stays at home, places like this close down, and they may never open up, and thats just another piece of the community youve lost," said Maggiore.

And while Vrakas has been able to keep her Encinitas restaurant open, her Denver location remains closed.

It just doesnt work in colder climates, places like New York or Denver, or even Seattle. It makes it unenjoyable to go outside.

Unsure when the rollercoaster ride will end, Vrakas is doing what she can to keep her staff employed and get musicians working through live music events at the restaurant.

Ive always said live music feeds your soul, makes your soul smile, and I think right now, we as individuals and people that have been dealing with this pandemic for almost a year, we need our souls to smile again," Vrakas said.