EPHRATA — Restaurant booths remained empty on what’s typically one of the busiest days of the year Sunday – Mother’s Day.

Local restaurant owners continue to comply with social distancing measures ordered by state officials and were able only to offer takeout and delivery options for families to celebrate and honor mothers.

Some local restaurants offered dessert specials, while larger chains offered special Mother’s Day promotions.

El Agave Mexican Restaurant in Ephrata had shifted toward carryout orders in March, including offering margaritas and alcohol orders to go. Esteban Rodriguez, an owner at El Agave, said Mother’s Day is always “very, very busy,” and expected nothing different this year.

“Someone called yesterday and asked, what are you doing for Mother’s Day?” Rodriguez said. “Well, we can make to-go orders. That’s all we can do.”

Rodriguez joked they couldn’t bring a mariachi band, or music, or any of the other elements of the restaurant to customers.

It’s been difficult not being able to have their doors open to the public.

“Normally, it’s very busy,” Rodriguez said. “Friday, Saturday, Sunday, you come sit down at a booth at a restaurant. Right now, you see restaurants empty, but it’s hard.”

Talking with his customers, Rodriguez said he recognizes the restrictions are beginning to take a toll on people.

“Most of our customers right now are local people, and they’re tired of all this,” Rodriguez said. “People are complaining about the rules they have to follow, and I don’t want to say it’s bad for people, but people are tired of this.”

Some restaurant owners, such as Porterhouse Steakhouse owner Cale Russell, discussed the positives of having the chance to give his employees the day off.

“I have a lot of employees that have been here a long time, a lot of Mother’s Days,” Russell said. “The good part of this is I get to give all these guys the day off, Mother’s Day off, for the first time in Mother’s Day history of working at the Porterhouse.”

Every year, Russell said the struggle comes as to who gets scheduled when, trying to give moms as much of the day off as he can. In the nature of the business, Russell said they tell employees when they’re hired that they’ll be working Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, no exception.

Russell said it’s absolutely tough not being able to be open on what he said is the restaurant’s biggest day of the year.

“The bonus is you get to be with your family and you get to spend Mother’s Day the way you should spend Mother’s Day, making your kids work for you, whatever that takes,” Russell said.

Russell said they tossed ideas around the last few weeks as they waited to see what restrictions would be like when the day arrived. Russell said the decision to “fold” for the day came knowing they couldn’t provide the same Mother’s Day experience they’ve offered in the past.

With their Mother’s Day buffet, Russell said they typically prepare 30 to 40 items, but they logistically couldn’t offer that this year. Issues such as meatpacking plants closing their doors have caused meat market prices to change drastically as well, even in just the last week, Russell said.

“It’s completely turned upside-down. It’s hard to operate normally with these costs skyrocketing,” Russell said. “To try and get something, and turn around and make it profitable, is rather difficult.”

Russell said they’re looking at redoing their entire menu, at least for the next few weeks, until the market stabilizes again. Russell said they just didn’t see customers wanting to pay double the normal price for prime rib, a typical Mother’s Day option for the steakhouse.