Dining rooms across Kentucky closed by governor’s order Monday

Editor’s note: A list of local restaurants that are offering curbside pickup and delivery is at the end of this story.

Danville and Boyle County restaurant owners and managers are hoping to keep their businesses operating in light of Gov. Andy Beshear’s announcement Monday morning that all dining areas and bars will be closed to the public as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. This means establishments will be only serving meals in drive-thru windows, via curb-side pickups and through deliveries.

But most small, locally owned restaurants don’t have delivery options or drive-thru windows. They depend on their dining room customers for their success, so now they are adapting their business models and are offering delivery and curb-side pickup, like larger chain restaurants do.

“Everything is evolving so quickly, and the restaurants are trying to adapt really quickly too,” said Boyle County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jeff Jewel.

He, along with other officials with the Heart of Danville, Main Street Perryville and Convention and Visitors Bureau are compiling a list of all county restaurants that are now offering special services as a way to help support “the Mom and Pop” businesses, Jewel said. Many of them are new to the delivery and curbside pickup routines. 

Having their dining rooms closed indefinitely “will hit them pretty hard,” Jewel said. So the chamber is trying to get the word out and encourage the public to continue eating out at their favorite restaurants by taking the meals home. “We’re trying to help the small businesses weather this,” he said.

“Everyone should use take out and even get a bag of cookies,” which will help the local restaurants “get through this,” he said.

On Monday morning, Gina Melton, who owns Melton’s Great American Deli with her husband Ronnie said, “We are here for anybody who needs us.” She added that they are OK with temporarily closing their dining area. 

“We want to be a part of the solution” and stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, she said. They are continuing their cleaning and bleaching routines, “we’re just doing it 10 times more.” 

Customers can still walk into the deli and place their order for takeout; they just can’t eat inside the building, Melton said. People can also call in their order, pull up to the door, and she or her husband will take the meals out to their vehicle.

“We’re hoping to keep our doors open.”

Grace Café owner Rochelle Bayless said her pay-what-you-can community restaurant has never had a take-out option, but now they will have to include that service to try and stay in business.

She ordered take-out supplies Monday morning and hoped that they would arrive by Tuesday. People can call or walk in to place their to-go orders, she said. They’ll also take orders out to patrons’ vehicles.

“We’re not a regular restaurant,” Bayless said. “Many people rely on us. We’re going to try to keep our people fed.”

A spokesperson at Harvey’s said as of 5 p.m. Monday evening, the dining room and bar would be closed. However, the restaurant is accepting call-in orders which can be picked up in the parking lot behind the business, or some deliveries can be made. She said they only have one telephone line right now and asked people to call back if they get a busy signal.

Jon McWilliams, owner and operator of Captain Frank’s Hotdog Emporium, said he began making plans for closing his dining area this past weekend because he saw where other states had enacted similar restrictions.

They will be making their own deliveries, which is a service they previously had. People can also call ahead and have curbside pickup, he said.

“We’re just going to deal with it,” he said. “Hopefully everyone stays calm and this will pass before long.”

Back at Melton’s deli, Melton said the abundance of caution being used across the U.S. to keep people at home may be a good thing in the long run.

“We needed to slow down anyway,” she said.

This past weekend, her daughter and son-in-law stayed home and found lots of things to do as a family. Her son-in-law said it was nice to not always be hurrying to go somewhere, she said. They even had Sunday school for their two little boys in the barn behind their home.

Maybe everyone will realize a slower paced life is a good thing, she said. “Maybe they will keep things a little slower.”

 

SO YOU KNOW

The Heart of Danville, the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Perryville, Develop Danville and Destination Danville have compiled the following list of added services now available at local restaurants:

• Melton’s Great American Deli, cinema location: drive-thru and delivery.
• Bluegrass & Buttercream: curbside and carry-out.
• Captain Franks Hotdog Emporium: carry-out and delivery.
• Jane Barleycorn’s Market & Bar: Carry-out and delivery ($7 charge). Gourmet dinners to go; wine & spirits to go; online menus.
• Bluegrass Pizza and Pub: Curbside delivery and carry-out.
• The Hub Coffee House and Cafe: Order online, carry-out at Main Street, drive-thru and carry-out at Ponder Court location.
• Grace Café: For carry-out, call (859) 209-2529; volunteers and donations needed.
• Burke’s Bakery & Delicatessen: normal hours.
• Plank on Main: carry-out only right now, Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Queens of Sweets & Treats: normal hours.
• Tut’s: curbside delivery.
• Harvey’s: carry-out and back-door pickup.
• Southern Plate Catering: Normal hours.
• The Still at AMBRAbev: Curbside pickup and delivery.
• Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen (Danville): Pickup only.
• Mama DeVechio’s Pizzeria (Stanford): Curbside pickup and delivery within a 10-mile radius.
• The Bluebird: Curbside pickup and delivery within a 10-mile radius.
• Baskin-Robbins: using Doordash (Smartphone app).
• Danielle’s Drive-Away Cafe: curbside pickup; deliveries every afternoon during weekdays.
• The Farmhouse Restaurant: carry-out and delivery available Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 
• Mi Pueblo Taqueria & Restaurant: Carry-out and delivery available from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

This information may change in the hours and days to come.