As operating hours and capacity mandates continue to fluctuate during the pandemic, Lexington restaurant and bar owners have had to get creative to keep orders coming in, using social media and inventive promotions to encourage patrons to order meals and drinks to go.
Daniel Marlowe
At Whiskey Bear at the Summit at Fritz Farm, a neighborhood restaurant and cocktail bar with a massive whiskey and bourbon selection, co-owner Daniel Marlowe said his team began brainstorming as soon as the pandemic descended. “Pretty much immediately it became clear we were going to have to be creative and be willing to pivot to be able to survive this kind of situation,” he said.
The bar was forced to close for a time, but reopened in mid-July offering, in addition to carryout meals, adult beverages to-go in sealed pouches. Any drink can be made to-go, he said, and orders can be placed online at togo.whiskeybearbar.com, though by law, food must also be included in the same online order. A delivery option is also in the works. Each pouch contains the equivalent of two cocktails plus room to add ice, whether it’s a margarita, beloved standards like a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, the house specialty drink called Lady Lavender, or another libation. Pricing is set at a dollar less than the traditional menu price of those two cocktails.
As The Summit is an entertainment district, patrons are allowed to drink from the pouches while they shop. While to-go cocktails have helped assuage some of the losses caused by the pandemic, “short of an industry specific support package like The Restaurants Act being passed by Congress, there is really no way to make up for the lost revenue of the last six months,” Marlowe said. “To-go cocktails have helped us drive some more revenue, but there is just no way to catch up to pre-COVID levels while operating at limited capacity.”
Bluegrass Hospitality Group marketing director Amber Cook recently discussed ways that Malone’s, Harry’s American Bar & Grill and Drake’s, with multiple locations between them, are keeping guest orders coming in. “Fortunately, carryout was already in place in our restaurants prior to COVID and many of our guests were already familiar with that service,” Cook said, adding that only a few tweaks were required to accommodate increased demand.
With individualized Text-to-Go carryout options for Harry’s, Drake’s and Malone’s, diners can text in an order, have it confirmed by a team member and pull into at a designated carryout parking space at an appointed time, Cook said, where employees take payment and deliver orders. She said social media also plays an important role in keeping customers engaged, as evidenced by increased interest in specialty menu items, such as Harry’s Mini Maple Chicken Cordon Bluegrass sandwiches and certain desserts after they’ve been featured in posts.
Ranada’s Kitchen owner Ranada Riley opened her new venture on South Ashland Avenue in July, hitting the ground running with new ways for customers to enjoy her cuisine. She chuckles recalling how, at her former restaurant, Ranada’s Bistro & Bar, one way she kept orders coming in when the pandemic began was by offering free toilet paper with purchase.
Other promotions were philanthropic, with donations to nonprofits this past spring, as well as Feed the Floors and Feed the Front Lines initiatives that encouraged area residents to purchase group meals for healthcare workers as thanks for their sacrifices.
Now, at Ranada’s Kitchen, she’s been offering individual meals packaged to go, as well as takeout Friends and Family options that feed four to six people and are priced accordingly. The meals include a main dish and sides, salad, bread and chef’s choice of dessert, and are available via carryout or delivery within the county limits. Bruschetta chicken has been one of the most popular meals, she said, and vegan and vegetarian options are also getting good feedback.
“I believe with COVID, too, people are forced to think more health conscious,” she said.
Riley updates her social media channels with the latest menus and with photos and videos. In each of her first three weeks of operation, Riley said her page views and interaction has increased about 150 percent. In addition to phone-in orders, a new website that includes an online ordering option is set to debut in mid-August. In-person cooking classes are set to debut in mid-September — with stoves situated six feet apart — as well as online classes, patio and indoor dining, boutique grab-and-go items and chef’s table dinners. Ranada’s Kitchen has upstairs event space to accommodate groups of up to 50 people, or smaller rooms for gatherings of 10 to 15.
“Every bit of it is with COVID in mind. I firmly feel we’re going to see this for a while.” — Chef Ranada Riley on her new business plan
In drafting her business plan, Riley noted dramatically increased demand for services like online grocery ordering, and consumers craving educational ways to fill time with online classes and books. She said her classes and food service will satisfy both needs with food on the go and culinary education.
“Every bit of it is with COVID in mind,” she said. “I firmly feel we’re going to see this for a while.” Whether or not that’s the case, Marlowe has some advice for other restaurant owners trying to weather the pandemic’s economic impacts. “Find ways that you can help [guests], but also ways to all work through this,” he said. “It will end, eventually, and right now we are all just trying to survive; to get to the other side of it.”