With New Jersey being one of the few states in the region keeping its indoor dining open, one family-owned restaurant is making the most of its limited capacity by giving back for the holidays.
Positano Restaurant and Pizzeria in Wayne is making use of all of its tables inside, not all for indoor dining, but for donations for families who are in crucial need.
Owner Joseph Catalano says there are empty tables reserved for donations from customers and noncustomers who want to make Christmas possible for children in need.
"I expected maybe 10 toys in my head, maybe we were gonna have to buy more toys to make it, to fill it ourselves, but yeah it's been great," Catalano says.
Brand new, unwrapped toys are sitting on empty tables at the restaurant. Catalano says some customers have even addressed the restaurant in their Amazon shipments of toy donations to keep social distancing.
This is all taking place as the restaurant itself is experiencing a 90% drop in its catering sales.
"Just puts everything in perspective and restaurants are slow, businesses are slow, but there's still people that are still in more need, and to give them something, some type of joy through the holidays is great," Catalano says.
The restaurant is collecting the toy donations for children ages 2 to 12 through Dec. 17 and will deliver the toys on Dec. 18 to the Passaic County CASA for Children.