Without question the toughest business to be in during the pandemic is the restaurant business. It is not only a prime target when closures are announced, or cutbacks initiated it must deal with public reluctance to go to a restaurant. Their only chance is getting enough traffic to keep as much staff as possible working and pay the bills. Kevin Adams, owner of The Old Newcastle House Taps & Grill was faced with this dilemma and had to get innovative to keep his doors open.
Initially, like all facilities, they had customers call their order in and come and pick it up. Many restaurants utilized the delivery services i.e., Grub Hub, or Uber Eats. These services are not available in Newcastle and the high price tag would have made them foolish to use. As they worked through the changes in restrictions and people got comfortable with call and pick up a new issue arose, they were getting overwhelmed with calls. This was not only tying up the limited staff, but they were losing business as the customer was getting a busy signal and going to another option. Solution: order through the link on our website at:
This initiative proved to be the answer and has indeed made a difference in efficiency and business generated. Did you know you can order alcohol to go? Once patio season arrived the thinking from a customer point of view kicked in again and they built fencing separating the tables giving the feeling of privacy and SECURITY. With the arrival of winter, the outside patio became a challenge. With the restriction of 10 customers indoors they needed to be able to have the patio operational. Kevin’s solution was to install two large gazebos. They utilized the existing dividers to accommodate two seating areas under each gazebo. Lastly, they covered the sides with canvas and installed electric heaters in each area. This has created four seating areas for four customers. Keeping safety in mind there is a QR code to scan and it brings up the menu on your phone, eliminating handling a paper menu. Covid has been a tough go in so many ways. On top of these challenges the restaurant has been broken into twice.
Kevin is very thankful for the assistance that was available through the government and realizes how much his survival was tied to it. Kevin laughingly refers to it as “Phoenix Rising from the Ashes”.
Another example of the innovative business owners we have in the community and we encourage all members to KEEP SUPPORTING LOCAL MERCHANTS.
