“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. “So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Expanded patios, al fresco dining, at West Flanders Brewing Company on the Pearl Street Mall

Adapt, Adapt, Adapt

We are in beautiful Colorado and summer is coming to a close. CU is back in session. The Boulder Valley School District has started the school year off with remote learning. A lot of people are wearing masks, too many don’t.

Where do we go from here?

As we close in on the Fall and Winter seasons of COVID, we are trying to prepare our options. At both The Sink and West Flanders, we have installed iWave air cleaning ionizers in our air handling systems. They kill bacteria and viruses without creating ozone emissions. Ionizers seem to be the most practical way to make our indoor air safer once we begin using the heat and close the front doors. UV lights work too but they are very hard to find.

Outdoor Seating

The City of Boulder’s Boulder Business Recovery Program has extended outdoor seating until October 31st. Is it possible that it could be extended? We are waiting to find out whether or not we will be able to put up tents and what we will be able to offer for outdoor heaters. The good news is that no one is dragging their feet on these ideas and the City is moving pretty quickly to provide options!

Take Out

Did you know that you can get a free beer with a $30 order if you order pick-up from The Sink or West Flanders? All you have to do is mention that you heard about this deal. Picking up your food saves us (and all restaurants) about 30% over ordering through 3rd party delivery services.

We anticipate that pick-up and delivery will be the most important income stream for restaurants (and even retail) going into the winter. The reason is, we simply can’t seat enough people to cover costs. At The Sink, by the time we space our tables 6 feet apart, we have 11 tables in our dining room. With 11 tables we average seating between 25 and 40 guests. 40 people is 30% of our normal seating capacity. At West Flanders, we could seat the maximum allowable 50 people, which is 25% of our capacity, but an average of about 35 guests are sat at any given time. I hope this gives you a better understanding of why the restrictions are so hard on restaurants.

Life keeps going on and we are rolling with it!

As always, we deeply appreciate your support. If you have any concerns, suggestions, or new items you would like to see, please shoot us an email and we will see what we can do.

If you would like information about helping Independent Restaurants please visit saverestaurants.com, write your Colorado representatives, pay attention to what's going on in our community, and most importantly - VOTE!