Owners Of East Lake Restaurant Choose Not To Reopen For Dine-In Service
Poor Hendrix’s dining room remains temporarily closed.
Poor Hendrix
The owners of an East Lake restaurant say their dining room will remain closed for now, despite Gov. Brian Kemp’s directive that allows restaurants to reopen for dine-in service if they meet specific social-distancing guidelines.
It’s been more than a month since the owners of Poor Hendrix closed its dining room and switched to contactless takeout.
Jamie and Aaron Russell, who own the neighborhood eatery and bar that offers an eclectic menu of tapas and more, say it was a difficult decision to make, but the health of their staff and customers comes first.
On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Jamie told the show’s host, Rose Scott, that before the COVID-19 pandemic, they employed 25 people. But they have since had to reduce their staff to six people.
“We really just explained that we were going to do everything we could to keep our heads above water and keep the business afloat so that once this was all over, they’d have a restaurant to come back to,” Jamie explained.
During the conversation, the Russells also discussed the immediate steps they took to file unemployment for their employees and a possible gradual reopening of the restaurant’s dining room.
“In a lot of ways, we had to create a whole new business model on the fly,” said Aaron, explaining how Poor Hendrix had to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic quickly.
They also discussed how the East Lake community continues to support their restaurant during the pandemic and the most popular meal on their takeout menu.
Guests:
Jamie Russell, co-owner of Poor Hendrix
Aaron Russell, chef and co-owner of Poor Hendrix
To listen to the full conversation, you can click the audio player above.
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