Trattoria Da Luigi in Royal Oak has 'ghost dining' to keep social distance guidelines

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - Next time you dine at Trattoria Da Luigi in Royal Oak, how about some calamari with a side of Casper, the friendly ghost that is.

Owner Luigi Cutraro said his wife came up with the idea. Instead of removing tables from this authentic Italian restaurant, they decided to social distance with ghosts - as white sheets cover some of the chairs creating a safe distance.

"When you remove tables it is like someone is coming to your house and they have two chairs instead of a whole living room," he said. "So I think it is better."

Luigi, who you will often see going table to table chatting with his regulars admits shutting down his restaurant has been the toughest three months of his life. Not only financially, but mentally. He missed serving his customers.

"I felt like when you see the people in the desert when they see the oasis, they see water - that's how I felt, I felt beautiful because we do need contact with people," he said. 

Luigi's son Luca was thrilled to get back to work and help the family business cater to customers in a safe way - which includes wearing masks, using paper menus and keeping tables six feet apart with ghostly friendly faces.

"It gives you the feeling you are not alone," Luca said. "Whether it be a ghost or whatever else, someone is there with you, it brings lightness to the situation. That's what we are trying to do, keep everyone happy and obviously get a good meal inside everyone."

They say it was just a few weeks ago walking through Royal Oak felt like a ghost town. While it's been nice to invite the spirits inside, Luigi looks forward to the day he can say goodbye to his new friends.

"The ghosts will eventually be gone and go back to where they come from," he said. "I would gladly trade my ghosts with my regular customers."

To learn more about the restaurant or to look at the menu, go to http://www.trattoriapizzeriadaluigi.com/