ALMetro360

Feeding the Heart of Alabama S TAFF R EPORT R ESTAURANTS WERE AMONG SOME OF THE HARDEST HIT BY THE C OVID -19 CRISIS . A FEW RESTAURANTS SHARED WITH US WHAT LIFE HAS LOOKED LIKE FOR THEM OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AND HOW THEY ARE LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE . ALMetro360: How has the community been supportive to your business during the COVID-19 outbreak? The Depot, Auburn, Alabama, Executive Chef &Co-Owner Scott Simpson: We are getting survey responses indicating ex- citement and enthusiasm to dine in-person. During this crisis, the community response has been overwhelmingly positive and we are grateful to see The Depot sustained by the generous support of Auburn and Opelika residents. In addition, the local tourism bureau and downtown merchants organizations have also come together in an amazing effort to support local businesses and help in promoting our offerings! Taste, Montgomery, Alabama, Clint Hahn, Co-Owner: The community has really stepped up since this outbreak began. They have made sure to keep us and many other local restaurants on their mind when deciding where to eat. Retail purchases as well as gift card purchases were a thoughtful gesture frommany of our regular customers. Moe’s BBQ, Montgomery, Alabama, Hill Lubin: We have had a very faithful and supportive customer base since the pan- demic hit. Most of our regulars continued to order take out and have since returned to dining-in. ALM: How have you been able to give back to the community? The Depot: We launched a very successful weekly “Provisions” marketplace to-go at The Depot giving guests a safe, curbside, and contactless option to purchase high-quality items not readily avail- able in our local grocery stores. We wanted to offer an alternative to shop at the local stores during this time. Through this marketplace we’ve been able to simultaneously support our local Alabama farm- ers, fisherman, and family businesses by giving them another outlet to sell their goods to the public. Our local purveyors have been per- sonally driving in to drop off exclusive items in small amounts and they are working quickly to adapt and overcome obstacles in the supply chain. It has been great to work directly with them and we are appreciative of their flexibility and supplying us with high quality products and specialty goods not available in big stores. 42 AL/ Metro 360 www.almetro360.com ........................................................................................................................................ b OF ALAB eat AMA ETH The Depot in Auburn is happy to welcome guests back to dine in. They are implementing newmeasures such as hand sanitizer stations, plexiglass-glass barriers and single use menus.