CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The celebrations for Cinco de Mayo brought back live music, full patios, and more people dining inside restaurants this year.
“We are celebrating being together, we are celebrating friendship,” said Natalie, who gathered with a half-dozen friends for lunch at Cabo Fish Taco in Ballantyne Wednesday.
Everyone in the group had a unique story of the challenges faced this year. The friends dealt with cancer battles, rehabilitation on an injury, isolation from the pandemic, and milestone birthdays.
“We were all hurt and hurting,” she said.
Now that they are all fully vaccinated, they were determined to celebrate Cinco de Mayo together.
The holiday is the first major social event since Governor Roy Cooper eased restrictions on indoor dining to 75% capacity, and permitted patios to seat at full capacity.
“Last year there was nobody sitting here, it was just all to go,” Craig Calcasola, one of the owners of Cabo Fish Taco, said. “It’s nice at lunchtime to see that we’ve got a full patio and a full house.”
The pandemic forced Calcasola to lay off many of his employees and reduce hours for many more. Calcasola said he was recently able to bring most of the staff back.
The returning guests were a welcome sight for many of the staff who recently signed back on.
“It brings back a little normalcy and it’s great for our staff obviously our staff works for tips so the more people the more money they’re making so it’s fantastic,” Calcasola said.
Servers still wore masks inside the restaurant and stressed the importance of easing back in slowly.
“It’s really good on days like today to see Cinco de Mayo, things feel a little bit back like they’re normal all over again,” said Jael, a server at the restaurant for two years, but who has been in the service industry for 16. “It’s just a slow process, but we’re trying to keep everybody safe trying to do what we need to do but slowly get back to where we were.”
Last year, Cinco de Mayo was served to-go. Take-out orders remain a key part of the restaurant’s revenue stream, Calcasola said. He believes that trend will continue even after the pandemic has passed.
And while he believes his business is more efficient and a smoother operation overall, Calcasola pointed to the live music, diners, and laughing staff, and said he is grateful for a taste of what the holiday used to be.
“It’s a big day of celebration,” he said.
The restaurant is also holding a Cabo de Mayo celebration on May 8. The event is an extension of the Cinco de Mayo holiday and will include more live music, a block party vibe, and drink specials.
Contact Tanya Mendis at tmendis@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.