Nancy's Diner works to adapt to shutdown of restaurants

GRAFTON — Usually, the inside of Nancy's Diner at 1:30 p.m. is coming off of the lunch rush, with bustling staff and patrons sitting in vintage booths and on stools. But on Monday, the restaurant was eerily quiet. In the back part of the restaurant, chairs were turned over onto tables and only a slight noise came from the kitchens. Since Gov. Mike DeWine's Sunday order that all restaurants were to close the dine-in portion in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, Nancy's Diner owner Denise Worthy has had to adapt. The place has been in the family since 1984. Worthy's parents owned the place for years, and her mother is the diner's namesake. Worthy has owned it since 2005. She can count on one hand the number of slow or off days that they've come across in the 15 years since she's owned the place. Now, they're offering takeout and even adding delivery as of Wednesday. The diner also will offer family meals deals and still has a full menu. Delivery is new, and Worthy said they'll start in the Grafton region and maybe expand out if they can. She had to lay off all her "girls,'' as Worthy calls them, but they've chosen to come in and volunteer time to help Worthy run the takeout part. She's asking all of them to apply for unemployment and get the benefits they can. Worthy employs 15 people at her diner. The cooled counter normally laden with desserts is pretty empty. Worthy was in the process of making pies, but said she's still not sure how many she should make with the change in business. Carryout was usually big on the weekends for Nancy's Diner, but the dine-in regulars are in throughout the morning, afternoon and evening. Worthy said she'll know she'll take a hit with the shut down. "It's day one, so I wasn't expecting a huge bang because people are scared," Worthy said. "People don't want to go out. They don't really understand what's happening. So, they're scared." Worthy said she is working with utility, insurance and other companies on the bills. When Worthy first got the news from her mother that restaurants were to close, she said she thought her mom was joking. Worthy said she thought the state would just limit the number of people allowed into the restaurant. "When you own a business, this is what you live on," Worthy said. "That's the sad thing. That's what you get from mom and pops. Mom and pops don't have corporate that comes in and bolsters them up when something happens. We don't have that. We have to decide." Customers can place to-go orders by either stopping in or placing a phone call to the diner. Worthy said they have a loyal customer base that she's hoping will still be there when the order is lifted. "We'll be fine," Worthy said. "We'll be fine. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever." Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com. Follow her on Twitter @MissLainaMae.