NEEDHAM (CBS) – When Blue on Highland closed its doors at 882 Highland Avenue in Needham in March 2020, General Manager Rick Naples and his team thought it would only be temporary.
“I don’t think we expected it to last that long over the course of the year. This species has forced our hand to the point where we will reopen today, a year later, ”said Naples.
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The restaurant began reopening gradually on Thursday, starting with takeout only. They plan to welcome guests back for dinner on April 19th.
“For some it was the right call. For us it was. For others it wasn’t like that, people were just trying to turn to survive so there really isn’t a right answer, ”Naples said.
Joe’s Waterfront at 100 Atlantic Avenue on the edge of the North End will reopen April 7th after over a year of hibernation. General manager Samantha Reynolds told WBZ-TV that they are preparing for summer, which is usually their busiest season.
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She said on her first day of business, “We had over 150 for dinner, we had around 80 for lunch and it was a beautiful spring day so the terrace was full, we had a lot of guests inside and everyone was fair. Glad to be back in the building to be. “
Joe’s Waterfront took advantage of the time they were closed to renovate the restaurant, including a new upstairs lounge and an expanded bar area.
“Our parent company decided you know what, no better opportunity than now to completely freshen up the space. So we had never closed our doors and had never been closed for so long to make these major improvements, ”Reynolds said.
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“It will be a proud moment. Today is going to be a great day. We open at four o’clock today. The people who come in, we will embrace socially distant and welcome them back, ”said Naples.
