Food Tourism in Hyde Park Impacted by COVID-19
The Culinary Institute of America is a staple to Hudson Valley tourism, but as a result of the pandemic, the school has chosen to close its doors to outsiders for the foreseeable future.
COVID-19 has made it so that the restaurants, breweries,
And the Apple Pie Bakery Café on campus at the CIA have all been closed to the public to limit the potential exposure to the virus. As reported by the CIA on their restaurant website, “the health, safety, and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff are our top priority. As such, our campus restaurants and public programs will remain closed for the time being and outside visitors are not permitted on campus” (The CIA Restaurant Group).
Seeing as the learning environment at the CIA is made up of mostly kitchens rather than classrooms, there is more at risk for their attending students concerning cross-contamination and cleanliness. The CIA is still holding in-person classes, providing their students with PPE, and taking extreme caution to keep their students safe in the learning environment as outlined in their SAFE Plan, “students and employees will be required to wear masks in all classrooms, labs, and common areas. Masks are also required in all outdoor public places” (CIA SAFE Plan Highlights). But with the CIA closing its campus to outside visitors, it opens up the Hyde Park food tourism market for other restaurants and establishments to fill its place.
Hyde Park, New York is located between Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck and features restaurants that vary from the prestigiousness of the Culinary Institute of America to the comfort and familiarity of the Eveready Diner.
COVID hasn’t stopped the Eveready Diner from being a staple in Hyde Park. They have adapted to the rules and regulations set by the state that all customers must wear a mask inside, they’ve incorporated a tent into their seating plan, and have even made the diner drive-thru accessible to weary customers.
Ariana Doxey is a seasoned waitress at the diner and has been on staff for the past three years. She described the working environment from before COVID to the present day as a “learning curve” that the employees of the diner have had to adapt to, “everyone has learned to work their shifts wearing a mask and following all of the protocols we have in place” (Doxey).
The restaurant culture has been greatly impacted thanks to COVID, and although regular customers have made their way back to the diner, tourists and customers from out of state are not part of this crowd. New York has set hard restrictions on people traveling from out of the states, especially from restricted states, and non-essential travel isn’t something that many folks are choosing to take part in.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, people were understandably hesitant to eat out, but now that people have become more comfortable eating at restaurants there has definitely been some sort of normalcy returned, especially with the outdoor seating we provide and our drive-thru option. I think it lets people who may be high risk or still uncomfortable have an option for eating out” (Doxey).
As a whole, Hyde Park has suffered an immeasurable loss due to the lack of tourism in the area as a result of COVID. It was reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal that tourism in Dutchess County is “a more than half-billion dollar industry” and without places like the CIA and other prominent attractions, the area has been suffering. When asked about tourists visiting the diner, Doxey didn’t have a definitive answer but simply responded, “it will definitely be interesting to see what the cold weather brings” (Doxey).
