Hello M.L.Rose Neighbors,
What a month it’s been. Garrison Keillor said “March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.” We sure are feeling that now.
On March 3, our sister restaurant Von Elrod’s was just on the edge of the path of the powerful tornado that ripped through Germantown. Thankfully the damage was contained, but this was also our first grim taste of what it feels like to tell many people on our team they can’t come to work for a while.
No sooner did we get through the turmoil of cleaning up and reopening Von Elrod’s, did we start feeling the realities of COVID-19. Our mission quickly became distilled to these three critical items:
1) Keep as many people safely working as possible through this crisis 2) Do our best to take care of the ones who we can’t keep on staff 3) Still be standing at the end so everyone has a place to come back to eat, drink, and work
We have been through the heartbreaking task of placing around 90% of our 350 team members on unpaid leave of absence, and the rest of us on severely reduced pay, while simultaneously changing our business model to curbside take-out and delivery. It is very difficult to get excited about new business ideas when you’re saying goodbye (for now) to many of the team that helped get us where we are. But we are forging ahead, and we will need them back.
Already, you can order food and BEER online through these methods:
1) Visit mlrose.com to order and pay online. Choose Curbside delivery for a touch-free experience. We can place the order right in your backseat or trunk.
2) Call ahead to any location to order take-out.
3) Order on Postmates (don’t forget to favorite M.L.Rose – it helps us stay visible!)
4) Follow us on social to monitor updates in safety, specials, and other important news – things are changing fast around here!
Through all of this, we are sharing this vision: Close your eyes, and envision an M.L.Rose patio packed with people drinking local craft beer, munching on waffle fries, watching (out of season?) sports, and laughing with one another. For now, stay healthy, stay connected, keep your loved ones safe, and we can bring a little bit of this experience to you in a safe way. You can find a handy FAQ on take-out food safety with COVID-19 from N.C. State University HERE.
Your neighbor,
Austin Ray
Founder/President
M.L.Rose Craft Beer & Burgers