‘There’s Nothing That Prepared Me For The Last Couple Weeks’

George DiMeglio, left, was forced to furlough 14 of his staff of 20 on March 17 in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Emily Broome, right, is one of those furloughed servers.

Courtesy of George DiMeglio, left, and Emily Broome, right

The restaurant industry was hit hard and quickly by the coronavirus pandemic as restaurants were forced to shift to take-out only options.

A mano, an Italian restaurant in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward is no exception. Its owner, George DiMeglio was forced to furlough 14 of his staff of 20 on March 17 and transition to exclusively to-go orders.

“While there’s challenges, don’t get me wrong…there’s nothing that prepared me for the last couple weeks,” DiMeglio said.