We had plans to have a family Easter brunch at the historic Griswold Inn, the legendary landmark that has been serving since 1776. We were grateful to snag one of the first reservations as soon as they opened for the day. Some lunch and a walk around this great town and the banks of the Connecticut River was a solid plan.

When Kara, the kids and I approached the front door of the Gris we were told the place was suddenly closed because a staffer tested positive for Covid. Owner Geoff Paul was gracious and apologetic and offered anyone with a reservation a free dinner to take home. We felt badly for Geoff and his team, which had been looking forward to a busy day in a business that has suffered tremendously during the coronavirus era. 350 reservations had to be cancelled due to a pandemic he has no control over.

Kara and I suddenly found ourselves in a new position: competitors. We’ve come across breaking news many times on our off days during the 50 years combined of covering Connecticut, but this time we were calling it into two different newsrooms at competing stations. No exclusive here!

We interviewed Geoff with our iPhones and our stations learned of this breaking news at about the same time.

This is not the first dinner we’ve had interrupted by breaking news. On Valentine’s Day 2016, a burst pipe and flood forced us out of Max Downtown in Hartford. There’s probably a message in there somewhere. Regardless, we are coming back to the Griswold Inn soon!