ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- With some businesses able to soon reopen on a limited basis, many are still looking at a tough financial situation. But one Orange County business is actually expanding.
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Lonny McDougal, the owner of New York Bagel and Deli locations in the Central Florida area, says that although he's lost some business, he's been able to make much of it up by innovating new ways to sell his products.
Since the economic shutdown, he's opened a grocery store inside his Winter Garden location and has been offering a week's worth of bagels for weekend pickups at his other location near SeaWorld.
He's now doing so well with to-go orders that on Thursday, he was able to open a third location on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando that offers pizza.
McDougal said that even with restaurants able to open next week, he won't have many places to sit down and eat.
"Until we have a vaccine, I don't think we're ready to have all of that sit-down (business)," McDougal said.
McDougal said he'll be scrapping a soda fountain for bottled sodas as another measure to keep people safe.
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