How small businesses are adapting in trying times

Some eateries do takeout only; one crowdfunds staff.

In the dining room of Restaurant Holmes, there’s a neon sign that reads, “Keep the vibes alive.” And right now, that’s just what the staff of the Alpharetta restaurant is trying to do.

In a matter of weeks, everything about life in the restaurant world has been turned on its head. Not just for Taylor Nealy, Holmes’ executive chef and his staff, but for everyone in the dining and hospitality industries.

As the coronavirus has quickly changed every facet of daily life, Nealy has had to change his business from a sit-down restaurant into a to-go operation that is also doubling as a convenience store of sorts — anything to survive in trying times.

“At Holmes during the regular world, we try to curate an experience that can’t nec- essarily be duplicated anywhere else or at home, which adds that perceived value to what we have to offer,” the 32-year-old chef said. “With that being kind of swept out from under us, we worked diligently to try to create experiences that you could come and pick up and enjoy in the safety of your own home.”

That means a little pop-up market he’s calling “Holmes Bodega” featuring cured fish dip, pimento cheese and unopened beer and wine, which the city is allowing establishments to sell. It has cocktail kits that have everything you need to make a big batch of drinks, minus the alcohol.

It has also created an a la carte menu, which is a mix of lunch and dinner favorites available from noon-8 p.m. every day. And it has four different family-style meals that serve two and available at a 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. pickup.

On the bar, Nealy has set up merchandise including T-shirts, hats, stickers — “I mean, at this point, I’ll sell anything,” he said.

Holmes, a Roswell native, has spent his whole career in the restaurant industry. But this is uncharted territory.

“Nobody in the casual din- ing restaurant industry has ever made a switch like this, so it wasn’t like there was this in-stone protocol to be like, ‘Oh, now we’re a to-go restaurant,’” he said.

For the time being, Nealy is operating with six salaried staffers, while 16 other employees aren’t currently working. However, he’s still finding ways to support them.

“That’s our No. 1 prior- ity is making sure that the staff that’s not able to work right now is taken care of,” he said.

All the tips received on to-go orders are put into a pool to be divided among the servers; $5 from each mer- chandise purchase goes into the pool, and there’s also a GoFundMe campaign. So far, Nealy says the community response has been “unbelievable.” He says tips have been averaging 42%, which, as he puts it, has “never existed in the world of restaurants ever.”

At first, when people asked what they could do to help, Nealy was a little more coy, just encouraging people to keep coming back. Now, a little further in, he’s gotten more blu n t. When people ask, he says they need money.

“I have two kids and a wife, and I have every dollar in my entire life invested into this restaurant. So even somebody coming in and buying a sticker for $2 is something. I’m not a penny pincher normally, but at this at this moment I have to be,” he said.

But still, Nealy says he’s optimistic and won’t give up. He has put his all into his business, which will be 2 years old in July, and he’s hellbent on shepherding its continued success.

It’s a sim i lar story at other small businesses in Alpharetta. David Silver, the general manager of Alpharetta mixed-use devel- opment Halcyon, said many of the businesses “are quickly adapting” to continue serving their customers.

Silver notes Land of a Thousand Hills coffee shop is donating food items it isn’t able to use to the non- profit The Place of Forsyth, while other restaurants like Butcher & Brew are crowdfunding donations to help their out-of-work staffers.

The staff at Cherry Street Brewpub at Halcyon has converted the menu to serve family-style to-go orders and also gotten creative with the extras being offered.

“For purchases of more than $30, we are giving away a free roll of toilet paper per request. For purchases under $30, guests can add a roll of toilet paper to their order for $2 each, and proceeds from this will go directly to help our staff during these times,” Alisa Tanner-Wall, Cherry Street’s general manager, said via email.

Tanner-Wall said “every day has brought new challenges,” but despite the hardships, she remains encouraged by the camaraderie around them.

“With all the negativity happening around us, it truly has been amazing to see how businesses are quickly adapting and adding new ways of generating sales to stay afloat while at the same time continuing to serve the community,” she said.

“We have learned that there is no right or wrong way to handle this situation — each business has to do what they feel is right for them and their team. Remember to be kind to your neighbor because everyone is going through this together,” she said.

CONTRIBUTED BY RESTAURANT HOLMES Executive chef Taylor Nealy at Restaurant Holmes in Alpharetta has had to change his business from a sit-down restaurant into a to-go operation that is also doubling as a convenience store of sorts.