Chamber of Commerce launches new promotion for eateries hit by COVID-19

Restaurants in Mountain Brook — especially those that are locally owned — “are the lifeblood of the community,” said Suzan Doidge, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

Many of those eateries have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing limits the restaurants to 50% seating capacity, which is particularly tough for smaller establishments.

Many restaurants are doing the best they can with curbside pickup.

It’s a very challenging for the industry, added veteran restaurateur Al Rabiee, owner of Vino in English Village.

Some of the bars and eateries in the city “are having a very rough time and need all the support they can get,” said Aimee Castro of Sol Y Luna Tapas and Tequila.

That’s why the chamber recently launched a promotion called “Eat Out to Help Out” that seeks to enlist the public’s help for these local enterprises.

Each week, the chamber features a different Mountain Brook restaurant.

Patrons who dine in or take out food from that restaurant can post a picture of themselves at the eatery on Facebook or Instagram and tag the chamber.

On Sundays, the chamber will hold a drawing and give away a T-shirt from the Mountain Brook Merchant Relief Fund.

”We are looking at any and all opportunities to get people into businesses,” Doidge said.

The promotion began Sept. 1, and Bobby Carl’s Table, Ollie Irene, Daniel George and Dyron’s have been featured so far.

“Eat Out to Help Out” is the latest in a series of efforts by the chamber and the city of Mountain Brook to help restaurants and other local businesses make it through the pandemic.

Many of the city’s restaurants received some help in March when Mayor Stewart Welch —through the Welch Foundation — created the “Save Our Restaurants” campaign.

“We had 30 restaurants apply for those grants, so we were able to give out $60,000,” Welch said in May.

The federal government offered aid to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program.

Bobby Carl’s Table in English Village, which opened in October 2019, received help from both sources, manager Christie Lowe said.

“That financial help was an absolute blessing,” she said.

Daniel George Restaurant in Mountain Brook Village, which was closed for dine-in service from March 16 through May 31, also received help from both, Operations Manager Debbie McKinstry said.

Vino in English Village received help from the mayor and the federal government, Rabiee said. The eatery distributed the $2,000 from the mayor’s fund among its tip employees.

“They were very thankful,” Rabiee said.

Sol Y Luna got help from the mayor’s fund and from the federal government.  “We are so very grateful for both,” Castro said.

Vaughan and Company in Crestline Village, which opened its first storefront in Crestline Village in early April, received help from the mayor’s fund but did not apply for federal help, owner Vaughan McGehee said.

The city of Mountain Brook has done what it can to make it easier for bars, restaurants and other businesses to serve their customers.

In May, the City Council voted to allow restaurants to more easily expand their use of sidewalk dining. The council also voted to temporarily designate a few parking spaces on most blocks in the villages for curbside pickup for restaurants and retailers.

In August, the council extended these measures another 90 days.

Lowe said she appreciated the support that restaurants and other small businesses in the city received from the city, the chamber and citizens from the beginning of the pandemic. These groups “immediately went into village mode,” she said.

She cited social media campaigns encouraging people to shop and eat at local establishments and Zoom meetings that provided important information to business owners, as well as the measures taken by the city.

“It all helped us stay open, and I believe [it] is a huge reason why we are still open today,”she said.

Rabiee said Vino took advantage of the additional sidewalk seating and extra parking for curbside pickup.

“We feel very lucky doing business in a city with the most professional, quick-acting and awesome city government,” he said.

Restaurant owners have done whatever they can to adapt to the pandemic.

“When you boil it down, folks just want some sort of normal,” Lowe said, noting that Bobby Carl’s has “made it a point to get food back on the table.”

They’ve used every means to do so, she said, citing delivery, to-go, no-contact curbside and dine-in options.

Daniel George has a few seats outside.

“People have enjoyed eating there, and customers do continue to order curbside, so the parking places help as well,” McKinstry said.

Vino is “very lucky to have Birmingham’s best patio ... very large with some covered seating that allows us to have tables 6 to 8 feet apart,” Rabiee said.

“Margarita packs have been a hit and something we pivoted to during the quarantine and have continued to sell,” Castro said.

“We implemented safety measures mandated by the government,” said Temsup Techarukpong, marketing director for Surin of Thailand, located in Crestline Village. “Additionally, we now offer the option to pay ahead and place a to-go order online. Also, we offer contactless payment.”

“The new normal for us to bring in the business we were before COVID-19 is a combination of dine in, curbside and delivery,” McKinstry said.

Lowe said she is asked often by customers how Bobby Carl’s is doing. “I reply with ‘We’re still here,’” she said.

“Seeing restaurants that have been in business for years and years succumb to this nightmare scenario, I know that just still being open is a blessing,” Lowe said. “We fight every day to continue to be able to feed this community.”

The outlook is “good” at Daniel George, McKinstry said.

“We have faithful customers who are coming back and supporting our business,” she said.

“We are OK and doing fine,” Rabiee said.

Castro is also optimistic about Sol Y Luna. “We have loyal guests that have showed up and supported us every step of the way,” she said. “We are so very grateful. We can't wait to be back at 100% capacity but know it might take some time.”

“We are so thankful for all of our customers... and we want to thank the Mountain Brook community for their loyalty and support," Techarukpong said.

McGehee is doing extremely good business with catering, delivery and curbside pickup at Vaughan and Company, she said.

Many other restaurants are struggling, she said. “But I am very optimistic that it will get much better,” McGehee said.

Lowe said it’s hard to gauge the overall health of the restaurant community.

“I see a lot more hope, a lot more ‘normal’ than the fear and confusion I saw several months ago,” she said. “We are all battered and bruised, but I personally feel that these days we are healing from the initial trauma of our world being turned upside down. Slowly, but most importantly surely, we are going in the right direction and will get through this.”

The effort to help Mountain Brook restaurants weather the pandemic has a special resonance because they’re connected to the community, Dodge said.

“Most of the people who own these restaurants live in this city,” Doidge said. “Their kids are going to the schools. They are involved in the churches.”

‘EAT OUT TO HELP OUT’

Vino will be featured the week of Sept. 28, Davenport’s Pizza Palace the week of Oct. 5 and Sol Y Luna the week of Oct. 12. For updates, go to Facebook @mtnbrookchamber.

MAKING A DONATION

The chamber is still taking donations for the Merchant Relief Fund, which provides financial help to locally owned brick-and-mortar businesses, including retail stores and restaurants. To donate, go to emb.swell.gives.