BOSTON, MA – MARCH 25: An employee of Carmelina’s in the North End of Boston tapes up paper in the windows of the restaurant, which is temporarily closing during the coronavirus pandemic, on March 25, 2020. Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all nonessential businesses to close, but restaurants could stay open for deliveries. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
In mid-March, just before Gov. Charlie Baker announced the restaurant shutdown, Marc Hurwitz received a warning from a friend in the restaurant industry to brace himself for a big announcement that would change everything.
As the founder and editor of the well-known website Boston's Hidden Restaurants, Hurwitz is tapped in to the local food restaurant scene, and he had a feeling that restaurants would be shut down. When that feeling became a reality, Hurwitz switched gears and focused on reporting the news of restaurant openings and closings on his other website, Boston Restaurant Talk.
"It's going to end up changing forever," Hurwitz said about the restaurant industry after the coronavirus pandemic on our podcast, "The Dish I Miss." "I don't think we're ever going to get back to the good old days."
Hurwitz, who also contributes to NBC10 Boston, NECN and Dig Boston, told us how some of the area's lesser-known restaurants have been impacted by the pandemic and shared a few of his favorite restaurants he misses eating at, including Santarpio's Pizza in East Boston.
Hurwitz also mentioned that he's worried about some of his favorite spots staying closed permanently after the shutdown.
"It's going to be scary when we get to Phase 2 and restaurants reopen," he said. "My biggest fear is that you'll see the lights come on at a lot of restaurants but you won't see them come on at a lot of others."
Listen to everything he has to say here:
