Pizzeria owner adapts to changing conditions in the face of the coronavirus — toilet paper included

Restaurants around the country are hurting in the wake of coronavirus-related closings. Some have adapted quickly by adding new ways for customers to enjoy their food through pickup and delivery. Others were already uniquely prepared to shift to a fully takeout model, among them pizzerias. 

Philip Solorzano owns six Solorzano’s Pizzerias locations in the Sarasota area at Gulf Gate, Siesta Key, Venice Island, Longboat Key, North Port and Anna Maria Island. (Carlos Solorzano, his brother, owns Solorzano Bros. Old-Fashioned Pizza at Webber Street and Beneva Road.)

Philip Solorzano says this time of year is usually the busy season for his restaurants. “We’re not doing the same numbers we were doing last year,” he says, given the pandemic. “Are we doing better than other restaurants that had to close and had to change into doing what we normally do? Of course we’re doing much more than them.”