Streetwise: Fond du Lac restaurants improvise or close after Gov. Evers' coronavirus order (2024)

Streetwise: Fond du Lac restaurants improvise or close after Gov. Evers' coronavirus order (1)

Editor's note: As 5 p.m. on Friday, all restaurantsmust close their dining rooms and only offer takeout to those who order over the phone or online before coming to pick up their orders, according to an order issued byFond du Lac County Health Officer Kim Mueller. Customers cannot order in-person, wait inside for their orders to be made or dispense their own condiments. Restaurants can remain open for delivery and drive-thru orders as well.

FOND DU LAC – Restaurants in the city are making difficult decisions after an order from Gov. Tony Evers limited their ability to serve customers.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Tony Evers issued a moratorium on all gatherings of 10 or more people,closed all bars in the state, and restricted restaurants from serving customers in a sit-down capacity. This left all restaurants to serve through drive-thru, carry-out and delivery orders.

At Tucker’s Hamburgers, owner Steve Blagoue anticipates the restriction will substantially decrease its sales, which had already dropped under the coronavirus outbreak. Dining rooms at the West Johnson Street and South Main Street locations are closed, but the drive-thru will remain open and the restaurants will accept calls for takeout orders as well. Those who want delivery of the restaurant’s well-known burgers and chilican log on to EatStreet, a third-partydelivery service, via either its website or appto order.

While Blagoue can’t predict how much sales will drop, he said the staff is“tightening our belts as best we can."

“Everyone understands that public health is the number one concern, and our goal is to prioritize that while still providing meaningful employment for our team and good food for customers who may not be able to visit the grocery store,” Blagoue said.

Orders lead some businesses to close temporarily

To keep their doors open and continue to serve, some local eateries are improvising in light of the restrictions. Even if a restaurant did not previously have the licensing to offer these services, the governor's order allows for them to do so, the Fond du Lac County Health Department said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday night, Annie’s Fountain City Café posted on its Facebook page that it would begin offering curbside pickup from a coned-off space in front of its door. All downtown businesses received such a "reserved" spot from the city so they may offer delivery service options.

Customers at Annie’s can place their order when they arrive, or send it earlier through a Facebook message. On day one, the restaurant is having a “good time” with its busy curbside service, owner Ann Culver said.

“We are so appreciative to our community,” she said.

The orders from Evers this week led 18 Hands Ale Haus to temporarily shut its doors. Since opening in December, the bar, which offers food, has been well-received in the community, and didn’t see an impact from the coronavirus prior to the governor's order, owner Sam Meyer said. In fact, it was quite the oppositeas, on Saturday, 18 Hands had a “full house.”

Streetwise: Fond du Lac restaurants improvise or close after Gov. Evers' coronavirus order (3)

However, when Evers order came through on Monday for all gatherings to be limited to 50 people or fewer, Meyer knew the bar/restaurant couldn’t remain open. With the bar only 20 feet long, social distancing standards of standing 6 feet apart meant there could only be three people at it. Although it serves food, Meyer said he did not believe there would be enough volume of orders for curbside or takeout service to do so.

Staying open “didn’t make sense” when it thinking of the safety of the employees and customers, so Meyer made the “hard decision” to close, he said. In the process, Meyer had to temporarily layoff 14 employees, who, while disappointed, understood and were supportive of the move. The employees continue to keep in touch through a text thread, and lift their spirits.

18 Hands Ale Haus will stay closed as long as the state mandates. When it reopens, Meyer hopes all the employees can come back.

“We’re at war with this virus and we’re going to do what we can to stamp it out,” he said.

While Meyer knows 18 Hands will see another day after the outbreak, other restaurants may not be able to do the same if they are not patronized during this time. To help them do so, he encourages people to support local businesses.

“I would like community to keep in mind we’reall in this together,” he said.

Keeping businesses open

Streetwise: Fond du Lac restaurants improvise or close after Gov. Evers' coronavirus order (4)

In the same vein, Envision Greater Fond du Lac has launched a Facebook page called “Fond du Lac Takeout & Delivery Options Amid COVID-19.” The purpose of the page is to inform residents which restaurants they can still enjoy and support, and invites restaurants to post to help spread word of their business.

Another website, called I Love FDL has also launched to show people which restaurants are open and how they can order.

To assist in the effort, food delivery services like the earlier-mentioned EatStreet are workingwith restaurants to bring food to customers in ways they hadn't before.In recent weeks, EatStreet has had a “major increase” in restaurants reaching out to join its website, EatStreet CEO and co-founder Matt Howard said Tuesday. In the Fond du Lac area, the Wisconsin-based food delivery website and app offers more than 60 restaurants for people to order from and have food delivered right to their door.

EatStreet is doing all it can to add restaurants as quickly as possible, so they can begin reaching their customers, Howard said. There certainly is a demand. After Evers order was issued, the delivery service saw “very big increase” in customer demand, which Howard described as a “pleasant surprise.”

As people practice social distancing, having food deliveredis a way customers can help protect their health, Howard said. EatStreet drivers are reminded to have sanitizing wipes in their cars and clean between each order. For people who do not want to have any person-to-person contact to get their food, the service launched non-contact delivery last week, and will further expand it coming days. Through this, customers can check if they want their food left at their door. Drivers can also choose to be a non-contact driver to protect themselves.

While EatStreet has also seen some restaurants leave the site as they shut down due to the order, there have not been many, he said. Mainly, Howard is seeing restaurants reduce staff to “facilitate takeout and delivery orders.” For employees who have lost their jobs in restaurants, or other closures, EatStreet is always hiring for drivers, who do not work as independent contractors but as employees of the company. Already, they are seeing more applicants.

As the service is adding restaurants every day, Howard encourages Fond du Lac residents to keep checking the website to see if their favorite restaurant appears. Customers can also encourage restaurants to call EatStreet and join the service, he said.

Through Sunday, EatStreet is reducing its delivery fee to 99 cents, and for customers who have never used EatStreet before, delivery is free for the first 30 days. Currently, Kwik Trip and EatStreet are partnered to offer free delivery, so customers can get items they need like toilet paper brought to their door.

“If we’re not helping restaurants and supporting them, they likely will just shut down,” he said. “We’re hoping can show enough demand to really make sure they can stay open.”

Here's what local restaurants are doing

Restaurants listed are those which could be reached by phone or had posted information online. Many of the restaurants offering delivery are available on third-party apps like EatStreet, DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

11:11 Burgers & Beignetsisopen at its Johnson Street location for carry-out and delivery from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Main Street location is currently open at 11 a.m. and closing time varies. Check Facebook for updates. Johnson Street location: 920-266-8005. Main Street location: 920-933-6566.

18 Hands Ale Haus is temporarily closed.

2.0 Ale House is open on a limited basis. Check its Facebook page for more information.