As positive coronavirus cases continue to rise in the state, restaurants are taking steps to keep their doors open and customers safe during this difficult time.

Restaurants and bars statewide have had to serve their customers by takeout or delivery since Monday night.

"At first it was very, very slow. This is a gathering spot, where a lot of people come to have a drink, relax, have some dinner. We're very much a sit-down place,” said Frank Cotrupe, owner of The Hub Eatery in Utica.

Weekends are usually a busy time for the restaurant industry; this is the first weekend with these restrictions in place.

"Oh my gosh. The parties we had booked for this weekend, I can't even explain it,” Cotrupe said, “We were supposed to have 70 people in here today, and look at it."

But with this difficult situation, the community has stepped up to support local businesses.

"Some local people just started buying, saying I'm going to support you, Frank, I'm going to support you. You helped the community, we're going to help you. Once they supported me a little bit, I knew I was going to keep going as long as I do whatever I have to do to keep going," Cotrupe said.

Restaurant chains are also taking steps to make sure they can stay open.

"Mainly what we've been doing is focusing on all the sanitation procedures, making sure everyone working in the store is healthy," Scott Davis, president of CoreLife Eatery, said.

CoreLife locations are practicing social distancing to keep their customers safe.

"We've actually been marking off six-foot spacing on all of our lines. These restaurants are not real busy right now, so there are three or four people totally in a restaurant, that's about it. We have spaces marked off so you can keep your distance,” Davis said.

Several restaurants are also offering deals to further encourage customers to support them during this time.