THE owner of a popular Penarth bar and restaurant said she was excited to reopen as a takeaway after having to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Konsa Micallef, 38, said she was “truly blessed” by the reaction from customers, after announcing that Etc Penarth would reopen in its new form.

The restaurant will reopened yesterday offering a selection of takeaway boxes, including the sweet Wonka box and a takeaway Sunday roast.

Miss Micallef said the last two months had been a difficult time for the business.

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“It was very difficult in the beginning,” she said. “I actually shed a tear when the news came through.

“Being an independent business, it’s probably your worst nightmare.

“We are opening up as a test. We will do a Sunday roast, as a takeaway, and offer several different menus.

“These include a Tasty Tart Box, a Gents Tea Box, and a sweet Wonka Box.

“Because the weather is like it is, we also wanted to offer something light but also healthy.

“We are still maintaining our plastic-free packaging and shopping locally wherever we possibly can.

“We are also using fresh ingredients to keep it as healthy as possible.

“Hopefully we have done it so we can cater for everybody in a slightly different way to elsewhere.”

Miss Micallef said she had been overwhelmed by the messages of support from customers after announcing the restaurant will reopen.

“Every time I read back on our initial post, it gives me goosebumps,” she said. “This business is my baby, and my staff are my family.

“The messages of support from customers saying they can’t wait for us to reopen were wonderful to see. It means the world to me.

“Even just being able to bring one or two members of staff back in is a blessing. We’ve all kept in contact throughout this.”

Miss Micallef said they had taken steps to ensure the restaurant complied with social distancing regulations and staff had sufficient PPE and equipment.

“We’ve listened to our customers experiences elsewhere and hope we can offer a service that is right for them,” she said.

“We will bring orders out to customers who will be waiting in their cars, so that no customers have to come in to the building.”

The restaurant will open today, and will be open from Thursday to Saturday from 3pm to 9pm.

It will also be offering Sunday lunches from next Sunday, May 31 from 11.30pm to 5pm.

These need to be pre-booked via etc-penarth.com or via Facebook.