When I look back I see what a lucky guy I’ve been. A wonderful family, supporting wife and kids, many great friends and a career I loved. I’ve also been blessed with an opportunity filled retirement.
In retirement I’ve been allowed to use creative skills I didn’t now I had. From creating merchandise people actually would buy to working with entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Probably the most rewarding part of retirement has been working with owners of restaurants & bars. The very people on the front line of today’s battle to keep us safe from the current pandemic. “Social distancing” has become a new phrase in our vocabulary. Bars and restaurants have always promoted joining friends and family for a social event at their establishment. Today we know this is not possible.
Governors across the country have set limits on how many people can gather in a business, office, restaurant or bar. On March 17 (St Patrick’s Day) Iowa’s governor went one step farther declaring all restaurants and bars must close at noon, about 90 minutes before the deadline.
That declaration set my second career in motion. Informing the customers of the establishments I work with of the change. At first it was graphics announcing the closing followed by narratives explaining what the plans were going forward. I’d like to say that was the end of the process but it’s not. As the news cycle changes so does the impact on these business owners.
Des Moines is blessed with an abundance of locally owned restaurants and bars. These are the establishments that tell our city’s story and our collective culture. I worry about them, not because they are my clients, but because they are my friends! They support the local neighborhoods we live in and enjoy. They are the backbone/support of neighborhood events that tell our stories. They are the ones that hire our neighbors, friends and their children. They are the backbone of what we call “neighborhoods.” I can’t imagine what my neighborhood would be like without them.
My challenge to all is to find a way to support these restaurants and bars. Check their Facebook sites and websites to see what they are currently offering. That is their way of paying the bills and keeping their staff employed. If they aren’t or can’t provide offerings online then be the first in line when they reopen.
When we again get to sit at a four top with friends over our favorite beverage add a little bigger tip for your server to help them with the lost earnings they’ve experienced.
We will get through this as a society - my hope is our local businesses will be there with us!
May I suggest checking out some of my friends….
Christopher’s Restaurant - Beaverdale
515.274.3694
Chuck’s Restaurant - Highland/Oak Park
515.244.4104
chucksdsm.com
Cooney’s Tavern - Beaverdale
515.255.5566
Flying Mango - Beaverdale
515.255.4111
facebook.com/eatflyingmango/
GoodSons - Beaverdale
515.255.1912
Governor Stumpy’s - Waldo/Kansas City
816.444.2252
Comments