Since Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a state-wide stay-at-home order, several Bloomington restaurants have lost their biggest revenue stream, dine-in eating.
Many have shifted to carry-out or delivery models, but sales are down.
One of the first things some have done is lay off employees. Chris Martin is the director of operations for Finney Hospitality, which operates The Tap, SmokeWorks, Social Cantina, and Yogi’s in Bloomington. He said the company has laid off nearly all hourly employees.
“We furloughed 99 percent of our hourly team members. We are running our restaurants basically on salaried managers only,” Martin says.
Similarly, places such as Upland and Switchyard breweries have laid off many employees in order to ensure they can stay afloat.
Despite having to make tough staffing decisions, Upland Brewing President David Bower has been amazed by the support from the community during this tough time.
“A lot of our long-time customers are continuing to patronize and to tip generously. All of our tips do go back to our laid-off employees,” Bower says.
Switchyard Brewing Founder Kurtis Cummings is hoping that federal and local assistance will come swiftly to help his less than two-year-old brewery stay open. In the meantime, the taproom is open for carryout and delivery and Cummings has done an early release of fan-favorite, Blackberry Wheat.
“People can enjoy a few sips of summer while they’re self-quarantining,” Cummings says.
Just yesterday, the governor’s stay-at-home order was extended through April 20th, leaving restaurant dining rooms closed even longer.
Contact Matt at mrasnic@iu.edu or on Twitter @Matt_Rasnic.
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