ARLINGTON, Va. — Many store owners across the DMV are preparing for the day they can reopen to the public. Some local cities are even offering tools and seminars to help businesses prepare for that day.
The Rosslyn Business Improvement District started a new program called "Rosslyn Ready." It's a resource center for businesses, restaurants and landlords looking for information to prepare for reentry.
Rosslyn BID President Mary-Claire Burick said they wanted to help each business prepare for the new normal.
"There is so much information out there. It is confusing and overwhelming for them, so we decided to build on the "Rosslyn Reward" program we started and give that support to our restaurants and businesses," Burick said.
Already more than 120 businesses in Rosslyn, Virginia, have signed up for Rosslyn Ready. The growing program is pairing local stores and restaurants with experts to best be prepared for the day they can finally reopen.
"We are addressing things like how to communicate with employees, how to socially distance your office, how to think about common areas and how to use signage to communicate with employees so they clearly understand what your plan for reopening looks like," Burick said.
Matthew Carlin is the president of Metropolitan Hospitality Group. They have nine restaurants across the DMV, including Open Road and Salt located in Rosslyn.
"Never could I have imagined it or dreamed it. We’ve been growing year after year for the last decade. We started with one restaurant, then two and now we have nine restaurants. I couldn’t begin to imagine that this was possible," said Carlin.
What is normally a bustling spring season has turned into takeout and delivery.
"High volume, busy work lunches, happy hours, full dinners, wonderful weekends, Sunday brunches, so this has been a 180. We’ve had to pivot obviously on the fly and do everything that we can to keep our team in tact and try to get to the other side," said Carlin.
Carlin said he has been watching the updates closely and preparing for what the new normal will look like.
"We do feel a lot of hope right now that we are a week or two or three away from reopening in some capacity, to bringing our team back and hopefully getting back to normal," said Carlin.
Carlin said one silver lining during this season has been the support this community.
"The humanitarian side of all of this is something I never could’ve imagined either. People have been extraordinary, supporting our company," said Carlin.
To learn more about the "Rosslyn Ready" program, click here.
