RVC Restaurant Owner Deals With COVID, Crime Since Opening

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Habanero Mexican Grill has been welcoming hungry customers since March.

For general manager Michael Tizzano, it's been a trying year getting it off the ground while a pandemic was raging.

While the county department of health was helpful in getting the eatery up to speed, one part of the process has been slowed-- finding workers.

"The ones [who] are willing to work, maybe they're on unemployment, so they want to double-dip," Tizzano said.

Many others, he said, just decided not to show up as scheduled.

For pandemic purposes, Habanero, on North Village Avenue, created a small amount of socially distanced tables and up to three seats at the counter. Even at this point in the health crisis, filling the seats is still "hit or miss."

Tizzano said,"There are days you do OK and then there are that you question, 'Where is everybody?'"

Not only did Tizzano have to deal with the COVID-19 situation upon opening, but there was also a crime at his establishment in late May. The cash register was opened and money was taken when the restaurant was closed. Tizzano said the use of credit card payments was briefly unavailable as well.

He said the police never made an arrest. Tizzano's partner had just installed video cameras at Habanero but "he couldn't figure out how to make them work properly," he said.

Overall, Tizzano is handling the pressures of his latest eatery (he also has a restaurant in Port Washington) and expects a drop off of customers throughout the summer as residents escape from COVID-19.

"If they have a chance to take the weekend off, or a week off, to go traveling, who's stopping them," Tizzano said.