Lockdown Restaurateuring
What’s next? Wish we knew!
We always thought that there would be another shoe to drop. It's like getting old. You know that it's coming, but that doesn't make it easier. What can you do to help? Try out the Marketplace and tell a friend. What can we do to help you? Just ask!Tom, Janice, Kim and Mike are taking unwanted staycations. Brittni is still steering the takeout boat and Cary staffs the Marketplace. The kitchen is occupied filling the Marketplace with yummy items that help make life work for your family. We still serve takeout customers Tuesday-Saturday, making our own deliveries. It’s a heckuva time to own a restaurant. But then, it’s a heckuva time for most things.
Janet and I bought a house in Walla Walla and will spend time there this winter getting it fixed up and making it ready to receive guests. We hope that many of you will take advantage of our invitation to stay at our century-old bungalow and let us arrange VIP wine tours and special dinners that will cause you to fall in love with this special place, as we have. There is much to do and working on it affords us the opportunity to create something lovely for the future while we tread water here in Portland.The State’s definition of outdoor dining specifies that the outdoor space “has at least 75% of the square footage of its sides open for airflow.” We could spend $5,000 to enclose our dining porch (three tables) with canvas and another $5,000 to add gas heaters, but we wouldn’t be compliant with the 75% open space requirement. So we sit tight.
The Marketplace has been a bright spot in our Covid adventure and we think it is here to stay. Many of our customers have taken advantage of the takeout and delivery service to add a special meal to their week. The Marketplace allows us to meet the needs of a broader mix of families in the neighborhood. Ten ounces of fresh fettuccini and a pint of Bolognese sauce delivers a meal for 2-3 people for just $17. There is lasagna, shepherd’s pie, mac & cheese and chicken pot pie. There are kits to make pizza, pulled pork sandwiches and hamburgers. And there is cookie dough, crab cakes, biscuits and gravy and many more chef-inspired items.Janet is selling an assortment of Thanksgiving side dishes. We were selling fresh turkeys but we only have a few large (16-20#) birds left. You can order a package of 5 side dishes for two by using this form. Next week these individual items will be available online and in the Marketplace on a first-come-first-served basis. Remember: We deliver!Our focus in this time of unwanted spaciousness will be on tuning up the online ordering menu to make it more user-friendly, honing our cooking instructions and improving our walk-in displays. Janet, Brittni and Cary will be working hard to make the Marketplace appealing to you. David is heading off to paint the hallway and stairs.2020 will look great in hindsight. We are almost there!