(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The hospitality industry was hard hit by COVID-19, and catering was no exception.
Weddings, corporate events and large family gatherings came to a screeching halt. But in the last three weeks, caterers have found new hope.
“We had a lot of calls and inquiries because people had postponed weddings from 2020,” Tim Belgio, co-owner of Belgio’s Catering in Naperville, said Tuesday. “Once the restrictions were starting to be lifted, we had people actually book events. So, it’s been nice to see them start to come.”
While weddings are back in full swing, weekday corporate events haven’t made the same return.
“There’s only a certain number of dates, so if there’s only a Friday and a Saturday four times a month, you can only do so many events,” Belgio said.
Meantime, restaurants and caterers are struggling with staffing.
“There’s a lot of our staff members that are making more on unemployment,” he said.
Belgio tells WBBM Newsradio he’s still optimistic about 2021, saying if they do 50% to 60% of the business they saw in 2019 he would consider it a success.
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