Restaurants get creative as they adapt to new reality
Denise Collins of Frank's Place delivered 100 lunches for nurses at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital last week, paid for by a generous hospital vendor. Photo Courtesy Frank's Place
"I never would have seen this coming, not in my wildest dreams," says Linda Minor, who has owned and operated Linda's Diner in Sharon Township for 14 years. "We have been through a lot as a community and a country during my years in business, but this ... was not on anyone's radar."
It is a challenging time for small business owners everywhere, but Manchester’s already-struggling business community has taken a big hit as the COVID-19 health crisis continues.
When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Executive Order on March 16, temporarily closing theaters, bars, and casinos, and limiting restaurants to carry-out and delivery orders only, it was expected to end March 30. On March 21, the closure was extended to April 13.
“There’s no question that this is a difficult time for many,” said Kari (Moyle) Stanley, on behalf of her dad’s business, Ollie’s Pizza & Grinders and Over the Edge. “Businesses are being forced to sacrifice income and employees are being laid off ... We receive new information daily about updated regulations, requirements, relief, and funding. No one could properly prepare for this devastating halt to our everyday lives.”
Manchester’s few retail shops have temporarily closed their doors. Personal services such as insurance agencies, beauty salons, fitness centers, the flower shop, and more have been shuttered indefinitely. The Winter Farmers Market made the decision to suspend operations to keep customers, volunteers, and vendors safe. Even some of those classified as essential services have, of necessity, curtailed their hours and/or adapted business practices to accommodate practices that avoid spreading the coronavirus.
The Moveable Feast in downtown Manchester is doing a new and unique carry-out service with a fine dining flair.
"Having lived and worked in Manchester for 33 years, Carol and I are acutely aware of our town's struggles with local access to needed conveniences," wrote owner Dan Huntsbarger on the website. "I know that everyone in town who provides food service to our community are doing what they can to make available a variety of foods for you and your family to enjoy. We are no different; we have put together our web site, Moveable Feast Curbside."
Simply order online from Sunday through Wednesday, and pick up your dinner on Friday or Saturday. The week's menus are listed on the site.
Carry out operations have always been a staple, particularly at pizza places like Ollie’s or Frank’s Place, but what was once but an “option” has now become the mainstay that allows some of these businesses to keep their doors open—for a while, at least.
“We paid our rent for April, so we’re here till the end of the month,” said Craig at the Manchester Diner on Adrian Street. “After that—we’ll have to see. I just hope they will let us re-open by then.”
At a nearby table, Raychel Lewis was watching a webinar on the CARES Act, trying to learn more about whether it could provide a way for them to help keep their doors open.
“Our carry-out business has been only 20-30 percent of a normal day, and sometimes even less than that,” Raychel said. “We don’t want to go into debt for this, but we don’t want to give up so soon, either.”
“It just turned out to be a bad time to start a restaurant,” Craig added.
Surprise menu items like Eggs Benedict have come from the creative mind of chef Nathan Shire at Manchester Diner, during these slower times. Photo courtesy Manchester Diner
On the bright side, the slower pace has allowed Chef Nathan Shire to do some experimenting with breakfast and lunch entrees—with some pretty spectacular results. Watch their Facebook Page for daily specials, Wednesday-Sunday, 7 am - 2 pm, or call 428-0721.
Not every restaurant in town has been able to stay open, however. At the Hungry Wolf, they’re “counting the days” until the stay home order is lifted and they can get back to work. “The last we heard from our boss, it would be April 13,” said Michelle, the manager. “But we’re not really sure; we’ve also heard the 30th.
“We decided to close so as not to jeopardize our employees and customers,” she added. “There were so many regulations and rules about carry out; we just weren’t prepared for that. We’ve spent time deep cleaning, and everything will be sparkling when we come back.”
Michelle’s main concern is the workers who worked less than the minimum hours to get unemployment; although she’s heard that the CARES Act will now allow some of them to qualify, and she’s hoping that’s the case. “Because even when we do go back, I wonder who’s going to have the money to go out?” she muses. “I guess we will just take it one day at a time, spending it with our families. We are very fortunate that none of our employees or their families have been sick.”
At the Bridgewater Bank, sisters Christina Spensley and Sarah McClimon had a harder time making the decision to close. From the beginning, they took things seriously, spending extra time cleaning and sanitizing the restaurant before opening, during business hours, and at closing. Going from full service to only allowing half-capacity, however, had a huge impact.
“We’re a bar and a restaurant,” Christina said. “People come here to gather with friends, share some beers, and just hang out. Especially in March, (which) is one of our biggest event months. We had to cancel St. Patrick’s Day, Oberon Day with our pairing menu, Saturday Karaoke, and our Friday night entertainment.”
So they decided to try carry-out. “We came up with a good system that worked well,” she said. “Although there were times when it was hard for customers to get through on the phone. We did the best we could and believe almost everyone was able to place an order for our Corned Beef dinners on St. Patrick’s Day.
“Then the stay at home order came through. We had a tough decision to make, for the health and safety of our staff, as well as our customers. We ultimately found that we could make it until April 13th. We needed to help flatten the curve.”
Like the Bank, The Village Tap is known as a place to gather—and linger—over drinks or in-house music; not solely for its food menu. However, the bar has been open for carry-out food on Fridays only, to help fill a void left when St. Mary Parish had to stop its weekly Fish Fry after just the third week. But once the Lenten season is over, they do not plan to continue to open.
“We greatly appreciate the community's support of our Friday fish dinners, but we do not plan on continuing Friday night take out dinners once Lent is over,” said Heidi Huber-Stein of The Tap. This coming Friday will be the final Fish Fry carry-out meal at the Village Tap. Call 428-7032 on Friday afternoon to order.
“We all miss our patrons and look forward to seeing them once we’re through this,” said Stein. “We're grateful to be part of a community with such resilient and caring people.”
Linda Minor during a "Breakfast With Bubba" segment held at Linda's Diner. Photo courtesy Linda's Diner.
Linda’s Diner, located at the United Producers stock yards on M-52, has curtailed her hours and is open for carry-outs on Mondays and Thursdays only, from 9 am to 2 pm.
“We thought about doing more, but we have so many older customers, who come out to support us,” said Linda Minor. “I hate to think about them jeopardizing their health just to come in here. But it’s social for them too—they enjoy having someone to chat with. And I appreciate the support.”
The limited hours are not really keeping the restaurant’s bills paid, although Minor says she wants to keep her staff at work if she can, but jokes that they might start trying to find new foods to deep fry to keep themselves entertained throughout the day.
She added that they have been blessed with support from the Bullseye Hunting Club, who purchased $500 worth of gift certificates; the Consumers Energy plant in Freedom Township that has been so generous with its orders; and the many other regular customers who have bought gift certificates to be used later or donated.
“We have a tight community here,” Minor says. “We want to continue to be here for our customers.” Linda’s Diner can be reached at 428-1248.
At Two Black Sheep Restaurant, owner Cheryl Coleman says, “I’m still managing to stay open because I do most days by myself, and bring in staff when I can.” As a newer restaurant, Coleman has worked hard on growing her business, which she describes as “a way of life,” and a “passion." Her fresh meal choices have become popular in Manchester, but it’s still not easy.
Frank’s Place, which has always provided both dine-in and take-out service, had to change its way of doing business quickly. When Denise Collins learned that they are considered “essential business,” she sought clarification from the Michigan Restaurant Association.
“I learned that in the last 15 years, people go out to eat more than they buy groceries,” she explained. “Grocery stores are overwhelmed right now, so we are helping alleviate some of this by offering takeout and curbside.”
Still, the virus has affected their business. They have had to lay off several employees. “But we are trying to hang on and move forward,” Collins said.
Two ways they have done that is to offer a limited number of pre-order grocery items—vegetables, deli meats, and cheeses, to be picked up weekly on Wednesday afternoons. Orders must be placed online (or by phone, 428-8003) ahead of time. The restaurant also has started offering complete pizza kits that you can bake at home, including homemade dough, pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni (and instructions!). For just $10 each, it’s a little more economical than eating out, and provides a fun family activity, too.
Coleman, at Two Black Sheep, says, “What keeps me going during the tough times there’s always somebody out there that has it worse.” And, like many other Manchester business owners, she is doing her part to share some of her own good fortune with the community. She also is offering a Friday Fish Fry to the community and, although she’s temporarily given herself and her staff a “day of rest” on Sundays, she will also have a carryout menu for Easter dinner. Call 212-3110 to order.
At The Bridgewater Bank, when Christina and Sarah made their decision to close after St. Patrick’s Day, they already had a lot of food prep work done. “With a lot of food we could donate, we posted via Facebook that we would offer free meals to those in need,” said Christina. “It was food we had prepared for a busy week ahead. Our customers often wanted to pay for meals, even though we weren’t there to make a sale. Many offered to make a cash donation, whatever it may be, in hopes to help cover the costs.
She added that many customers stepped up and offered to make deliveries for anyone who didn’t want to drive to the bar. “It truly was a community coming together,” she said. “It was overwhelmingly generous. It was absolutely amazing.”
A masked cleaning frenzy at Ollie's Pizza & Grinders helps keep the restaurant in good shape during the coronavirus crisis.
At Ollie’s, the restaurant is still offering a free junior one-topping pizza and a pop to students every week day, from 11 am to 2 pm. Call 428-6543 for more information about this program. The staff is also working hard to take care of their employees, some of whom were laid off when the sports bar was forced to close. “We have been keeping up on the newest relief offers daily and making sure the information gets to all of our employees that aren’t working right now,” said Kari Stanley. “We are also helping laid off employees apply for funds set aside specifically for restaurant employees, including a $500 grant; and offering free meals to employees who were laid off because the bar is closed.”
Filing for unemployment has also been chaotic, with massive claims causing website failure, but Ollie’s management is making sure their employees get the help they need in that realm as well.
At Frank’s Place, the staff kept busy last week delivering 100 boxed lunches to nurses at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. “A customer of ours recommended our restaurant to a vendor at St. Joes, who in turn paid for all the lunch boxes,” Denise Collins explained. “Jessica, Aaron, Oliver, and Henry made signs which we attached to the boxes. We wanted the employees to know how much we appreciate what they are doing working the front line at the hospital.”
So, even though these businesses are experiencing hard times themselves, they continue to reach out to the community in a variety of ways to make this time a little easier for everyone.
“These challenges haven’t been seen in anyone’s lifetime and we hope we never have to endure them again,” said Stanley at Ollie’s. Our hope is that everyone can come together as a community to help those in need, including small businesses. Buying a gift card from a local business now, to use later, is one small way to contribute. Even after the pandemic has passed, we hope that everyone continues to shop and stay local so our community’s small businesses can thrive.
Ollie’s/Over the Edge Pizza owner, Chris Moyle, says, “I hope everyone in Manchester stays safe and healthy and I look forward to seeing people soon, (from fewer than six feet away). I also want to thank our customers for every bit of support we’ve received these last few weeks.”
Moyle is looking forward to planning events again for the community to enjoy, including bands, trivia night, and celebrating holidays. “We just might have to create our own post-pandemic holiday to make up for the ones we had to miss out on while we stayed home to stay safe,” he says.
Minor says one thing she is enjoying after 14 years of working every Sunday, is being able to stay home and watch church service online in her pajamas with a nice hot cup of coffee.
“There has to be some positive in all of this,” she said.
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