It's been months since these students have enjoyed a burger in downtown Binghamton. And business owner Jordan Rindgen has been strategizing to make it possible.

What You Need To Know

  • Now that students have returned to the region for school, restaurants are starting to see an uptick in business

  • Restaurants like Dos Rios Cantina and The Colonial are finding creative ways to keep things running smoothly and safely

  • There have been lots of adjustments since students have returned

"If there's four people in the party, we can slide it down, if there's eight people in the party, we can slide it down a little further. So it's mobile and convenient," said Rindgen, co-owner of Dos Rios Cantina and The Colonial.

From wiping down pens, to printing out rules to abide by, to applying for outdoor seating, it's all been a part of reopening safely.

"If the city didn't allow us to have the outdoor seating, it would be a completely different story right now. It has helped us out tremendously, we're very fortunate we have this space and the city has allowed us to use this space," said Rindgen.

There have been a lot of adjustments and with students back, that means it's time for another adjustment: creating more space to take orders, and seat people.

"We took out these two windows so we have two ordering stations here and an ordering station inside. So we've turned our full-service restaurant into an almost fast, casual restaurant," said Rindgen.

But Rindgen says it's great to see a bump in business.

"They're excellent, it's definitely a nice boost in the economy and they're great. It gives a nice little life to downtown," said Rindgen.