SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Funk ‘N Waffles isn’t your typical, run-of-the-mill eatery. The restaurant is in even more need for normalcy than just any other eatery. Funk ‘N Waffles hosts live music from bands nearly every night , which in turn often draws capacity crowds. The road through the pandemic included a laundry list of regulations, but overall the place has made it here with not too many bumps along the way.
“Honestly we didn’t have a lot of ‘Karen’s’ that whole time,” Funk ‘N Waffles day manager Craig Phillips said. “A lot of people were very understanding. Some people still prefer to wear masks, and that’s cool as well. “
New York Governor Kathy Hochul removed the state’s mask mandate in late February, pulling back the final curtain on the final COVID-19 regulation the restaurant acknowledged. After over a year and a half of unprecedented rules, the place is ecstatic to get back to the way things were.
“It’s nice to see people just having a fun time, dancing,” Funk ‘N Waffles Owner, Adam Gold said. “It’s what we’re here for. We’re in the entertainment industry, so we need things to go back to normal.”
As happy as Gold is, the owner said he’s someone who keeps a close eye on what the CDC recommends. So if a more strict policy comes to fruition, he’s all ears.
“I’m happy to re-apply the masks because I think its smarter, personally,” Gold said. “But I don’t want to be this crazy hold out. There’s like a fine line between ‘hey, he’s just being smart and careful’ and like ‘now, he’s just being a jerk.’ I’m trying to find that happy medium.”
