It wasn’t all bad
■■ A customer left a hefty tip for staff at his local watering hole in Ohio this week, just hours before the state’s governor ordered all bars and restaurants to shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. Knowing employees at the Coaches Bar and Grill in Columbus would struggle in the weeks ahead, the unnamed customer tipped $2,500 on a $30 check. “Please split this tab equally,” he wrote. For someone to “care enough about people that give him a beer and a hamburger once in a while, that means a lot,” said owner Benny Leonard. “It’s humanity at its best.”
■■ Helena Schlam is in self-imposed quarantine at her Ohio home, but the 78-year-old isn’t lacking for entertainment. Taran Tien, 9, and his sister Calliope, 6, this week staged a classical musical concert on their elderly neighbor’s front porch. The siblings put on their best formal attire, picked up their cellos, and played a 30-minute repertoire that covered everything from a Bach minuet to “Go Tell Aunt Rhody.” Schlam sat a safe distance away and cheered after each song; her grandchildren, who live in Israel, watched the concert over FaceTime. “This was a delightful break for all of us,” said Schlam. “It was such a real gift.”
■■ Michelin-starred chef José Andrés is turning eight restaurants in New York City and Washington, D.C., that have been shuttered by the coronavirus outbreak into community kitchens. To-go meals will be free for those in financial difficulty and $7 for customers who can afford it. The restaurants will be staffed by salaried employees who volunteer for the gig and will be open daily from noon to 5 p.m. “People have to eat,” said Andrés, who has previously set up mobile kitchens in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, North Carolina, and elsewhere following natural disasters. “We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”