Local restaurants and eateries have had a month now to rebuild since the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

For two years the dining industry has had to creatively bob and weave around mandates that were put in place during the pandemic.

John Gannitsos, owner-operator of the popular Akropol Restaurant in downtown Swift Current, can attest to the turnaround they've had since restrictions no longer hampered their customer base.

"Definitely since the mandates relaxed, the in-house [dining] has been up," attested Gannitsos. "The in-house is what you want. You want people enjoying your amenities, 'cause you're paying power, you're paying everything. You're paying staff to be in. It's nice to see the people back in the business."

While dine-in numbers have piled in, the curb-side pick-up scene that had helped many businesses stay afloat during the pandemic has seen a sharp drop off in popularity.

"The pandemic hit and we really exploded in that," he explained. "So it did help to keep the business going and I had some staff still working, helping out and everybody cooking and taking orders and everything so it kept some of my staff employed."

Akropol had already been doing take out and order in as an option before the pandemic, so Gennitsos' crew were already trained and ready for that model of enterprise when the pandemic went ballistic.

Now, without any mandates, the only thing Gennitsos enforces is that his employees stay home for a few days if they feel ill, rather than risk bringing in any flu bug or worse with them.

"If anybody wants to wear their mask, they can come in wear the mask.," clarified Gannitsos. "Most people don't. There's no issue there. Come in, wear your mask."

Gannitsos was able to take a few important insights away from the turbulent era of restrictions and mandates.

"I find that if you were a restaurant lounge that was brick and mortar, which means you didn't do a lot of takeout and delivery, you struggled," observed Gannitsos. "In some ways, I was lucky to have that takeout and delivery already."

And while the restrictions being lifted certainly have led to a return to a more normal venue and customer interaction, there are still issues that people have.

Gennitsos noted how when the mandates were being imposed, there were people mad that they had to wear a mask in order to enter the property. Now, there are people who are upset that his business isn't enforcing masks anymore.

"I tried to do the right thing for my family, my staff, and for the people coming in the door," asserted Gannitsos. "That's the best thing we could do to get through this."