Boston Chops, Wink & Nod reopen for first time since pandemic hit
By Mike Sullivan, WBZ-TV
BOSTON - Some of Boston's most popular bars and restaurants are just now re-opening since the pandemic hit.
Boston Chops downtown has been closed for 33 weeks. They say it's all about where their downtown spot is located.
"First we had to wait for theaters to come back, tourists to come back," said Boston Chops co-owner Brian Piccini. "We are dependent on tourists. We are dependent on people going to work, so it's the post-work crowd, and the Theater District. We saw the theater really activated. We saw the hotels filling. We saw other businesses doing 20% more year-over-year post-pandemic."
As soon as the government allowed them to reopen, they did, only they saw a 90% loss in revenue downtown. Their South End location thrived. The downtown location shut down again.
"It took me a month into the pandemic to realize, Brian it's not your fault," laughed Piccini. "This is the world. This is a windowless environment. We have no patio. We are built in an old bank."
Nearby, Wink & Nod just reopened for the first time since the pandemic began. The cocktail bar doubles as an incubator for budding chefs who circulate through their kitchen. Management put in a special HVAC system to clear the air in the restaurant, however installation didn't go as planned.
"We ordered that system for air flow back in January. Supply chain has been a nightmare on every facet. It took us almost 10 months to get everything we needed just from that system," said Wink & Nod General Manager Roberto Cibrian Stockbridge.
They began welcoming guests back on November 3. New to the menu is a drink called "The Phoenix." The cocktail is a tribute to their return.
"Having us rising from the ashes is a great mentality we have," smiled Cibrian Stockbridge. "That was something our bar manager came up with to help us on the opening."
The first chef returning for a stint at bar will be cooking Mediterranean cuisine.
"Interest level in the neighborhood and community is sky high," said Cibrian Stockbridge. "Our mentality is not that we are coming back, more we never left."