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V O L . X X X N O. X I I I J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 2 4 20 L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E restaurant: tables with half-eaten meals, tabs left open, drinks left unfinished, a messy kitchen. But, like other restaurants and bars in Lewiston, the night has had a prolonged effect. Months after the incident, the city has remained quiet. Restaurant goers have been wary of return- ing to public spots. Holiday gatherings and parties, typically a mainstay for restaurants, did not materi- alize this past winter. Shanna Cox, the director of the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said sales and revenue was down 60% during the holiday season. Most people started to see an uptick in February and March. "Many restaurants are doing much better now," says Cox. "e businesses have faced the reality of dealing with their employees who faced a traumatic event and sometimes have anxiety coming back to work." What restaurants are doing to regain customers At Legends, Small has been working to regain customers. e restaurant offers daily deals, includ- ing discounts on different menu items, longer happy hour specials and beer tastings. "I saw enough of a decrease that I evaluated a couple of things in my restaurant," says Small. "One is that we launched theme nights, so every night of the week, we have a different discount for the consumer. Some of those discounts are related to carry-out or dine-in. I obviously want the dine-in customer, but we really just want the customer. I Delta Dental offers more choices for employees 77% of U.S. dentists are in network Source: 2021 Delta Dental Data www.nedelta.com ยป C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E F O C U S Bon Vivant General Manager and Chef Michael Gosselin says business is coming back. The restaurant had only been open two months at the time of the Lewiston shootings. P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D