Perlo's Restaurant in East Rochester is one of several local eateries preparing to reopen its dine-in service after it was shut down three months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I've missed everybody so much. I mean seeing somebody in their car is a lot different than having them sit in the dining room and talking to them and interacting with them."

"It's been a long, long 90 days," said owner Donna Perlo.

Perlo's specializes in Italian-American cuisine. Perlo says business was able to stay afloat thanks to an outpouring of community support for the restaurant's curbside pick up service.

"My customers have been so loyal and they've taken us through the to go period. It was incredible the way they supported us. We were able to employ 15 people out of 25 through the whole close down," Perlo said.

If all goes as planned, Phase 3 of reopening for the Finger Lakes region starts Friday. Restaurants are included. Donna and her husband spent Tuesday afternoon getting things in tip-top shape.

"We've done an extreme amount of deep cleaning. Everything has been repainted. The carpet has been cleaned."

Perlo says a lot of work goes into inviting patrons and a full staff back safely and that abiding by state and CDC guidelines is a top priority.

"This is a neighborhood restaurant and we have a lot of local people that we've become very close with. So there is a lot of hugging and kissing going on which is not going to be happening," Perlo added.

Patrons can expect a lot of changes for Perlo's grand reopening Friday at 4 p.m., including the need to practice social distancing, wear masks, and make a reservation.

"The largest group can be 10, 10 people at a table. All of the tables have to be six feet apart. And you have to make a reservation because we can only seat 50 percent of the capacity of the restaurant. They have to wear a mask until they are seated at their table. It's the norm until we all get used to what's going on."

"I'm very excited for Friday," said Perlo.