There's no doubt that as a result of the pandemic quite a few Berkshire County restaurants struggled, some to the point where they had to go out of business. With fewer people going out to eat (particularly in the early days of the pandemic), along with staff members either being cut or leaving their jobs, it was difficult for many Berkshire County restaurants and Berkshire businesses in general, to remain afloat.

A Number of Berkshire County Businesses Were Able to Pivot

For the Berkshire County restaurants that remained in business. They learned to pivot and offer curbside to go or even delivery to home options. The whole way business was being done was becoming new again. Reinvention was key. Other Berkshire County restaurants didn't necessarily go out of business completely but the ownership changed hands. A few recent examples of this off the top of my head include the Hot Dog Ranch in North Adams being sold off and reopening as The Ranch. In addition, Lakeside Restaurant in Cheshire was recently sold to Craig Kahn who plans on renovating the building and possibly offering some food options including catering.

Another Berkshire County Restaurant is Now Under New Ownership

In a recent Facebook post, Mike and Cindy Dutton who owned The Bridge restaurant in Sheffield for 15 years have sold the business and the restaurant is now owned by Justin Vagliano. You can check out the post below:

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Many folks on Facebook reacted with both sadness and joy as they were sad to see Mike and Cindy go but wished them well in their future endeavors.

The Bridge Restaurant Has Been Good to the Community

It goes without saying that The Bridge Restaurant offered great food and service but it's my understanding that they were community-minded as well. One example, in particular, is that for many years, The Bridge allowed Sheffield Kiwanis to hold their weekly club meetings at the restaurant on Tuesday evenings. In addition, The Bridge was the spot where Sheffield Kiwanis would host their grand prize giveaways for the club's yearly scholarship/truck raffle fundraiser. The money raised from that promotion went back into the local community as scholarships became available to local youth. There's no argument that Mike and Cindy will be sorely missed but residents are also looking forward to what's to come at The Bridge Restaurant in Sheffield.

RELATED: Speaking of Berkshire County restaurants that didn't survive the pandemic, here are eight of them that were located in Pittsfield.

These 8 Pittsfield Restaurants Did Not Recover From the COVID-19 pandemic

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