Linda Falkenstein
The Old Fashioned on Madison’s Capitol Square was doing a brisk business at noon on Friday, March 13 — packed as usual, despite Gov. Tony Evers’s declaration of a public health emergency the day before.
By lunchtime on Monday, the restaurant had just three or four tables filled and a few customers at the bar.
It wasn’t quite as if things changed overnight, but it was a precipitous slide over the weekend.“Friday was good,” says manager Thomas Bohlen. “Saturday was good until about 7 or 8 p.m. Sunday was down.” At 12:45 p.m. on Monday, the restaurant had served about 30 customers.
All over Madison this week, restaurants were scrambling to find ways to keep serving during the COVID-19 crisis. Gov. Tony Evers has now restricted the options with his March 17 directive to cease all in-restaurant dining and move to takeout or delivery only. Some, like sibling restaurants Sardine, Gates & Brovi and Marigold Kitchen, chose to close even before Evers’ announcement. Others, like the Food Fight group, were already trying curbside pickup, takeout and delivery only. Even so, it was reported on March 17 that the restaurant group, which has 21 restaurants, would be furloughing 750 employees.
“No-touch” and “curbside” became the new buzzwords, as restaurants worked to minimize contact with patrons.Even food carts — already takeout only — were stepping up caution. The Common Pasta cart was at its usual station on East Main Street on March 16. Co-owner Brian Baur demonstrated the cart’s new no-touch system — no cash; all cards. Customers swipe their card themselves on the cart’s tablet; then Baur sanitizes the screen.
Salvatore’s Tomato Pies was among the first restaurants, on March 12, to post about stepping up sanitation and moving to “no-contact delivery” — with customers ordering and paying online and delivery persons texting upon arrival — from the Sun Prairie location, while Madison delivery was available through EatStreet.
Pasture and Plenty on University Avenue closed its dine-in area early this week, but increased production of its locally sourced meal kits and prepared farm-to-freezer meals. As families stocked up on essentials for preparedness, yet wanted to keep eating healthy — not just canned goods — this proved a popular option. “We’ve sold what is usually three weeks worth of our farm-to-freezer meals in two-and-a-half days,” says Pasture and Plenty owner Christy McKenzie.
The strategy is “letting us keep our kitchen staff and front of house people employed,” says McKenzie. It’s also helping local farmers, she notes, who are taking the hit along with the restaurants that ordinarily buy their meats and produce.
McKenzie moved the restaurant’s drop-off sites outside to minimize close contact. The Monday drop-offs are for meal kits, along with any additional food ordered, such as farm-to-freezer meals.
The University Avenue storefront has been rearranged to facilitate social distancing, with six feet between the customer and the point of sale, says McKenzie, with hands-free payments, and customers need to use hand sanitizer before touching the payment screen. Orders can be placed online, by email or over the phone. Pasture and Plenty also offers no-touch delivery.
Tami Lax’s fine dining, locavore restaurant Harvest, on the Capitol Square, moved to a new model called “Harvest Go,” with delivery and curbside pickup for a menu that changes frequently, including salads, soups, and several entrees (recently including coq au vin and vegetable lasagna). The Harvest Go website also states the restaurant will “stock up your fridge” with a larger quantity of prepared meals, upon request.
Meals from The Old Fashioned, next door, can also be ordered for takeout with curbside pickup.
The Angry Rooster, ordinarily a Monday night-only chicken offshoot of The Tin Fox on Monroe Street, is now offering its fried chicken as takeout Monday-Saturday (it’s not yet been decided if the restaurant will operate on Sundays). The Tin Fox’s menu is also available for takeout, curbside pickup and delivery Tuesday through Saturday.
Square Wine is now all “grab-n-go,” says owner Andrea Hillsey; customers can call in a wine order and pick it up curbside on North Pinckney Street.“It’s one day at a time,” says Hillsey. “Trying to balance being a small business with public health.”
Developments relating to COVID-19 are evolving quickly. Please note that any information in this article is subject to change.
