Safety restrictions force Rochester small businesses to get creative
At Forager Brewery, like hundreds of other restaurants and small businesses in Rochester, it all happened so fast.
“We were a full-service restaurant and brewery with hundreds of people eating in every day,” said Annie Henderson, co-owner of Forager. “That abruptly stopped, so we had to turn, as quickly as possible, into this takeout delivery service.”
In a matter of a few days, regular, everyday life came screeching to a halt. Through days of extreme stress, the small business owners of Rochester have had to improvise on their original business plan to keep the ‘doors open,’ even as their physical doors are required to remain closed.
A Twist on Takeout
In Forager’s case, Henderson said in the days before Gov. Walz’s order closing dine-in areas, the staff raced to figure out online ordering options and takeout capabilities before the restrictions took effect.
In addition to their regular takeout menu, Forager decided to also roll out a meal kit, complete with a week’s worth of food ready to be heated up.
The first week of the meal plans acted as a pilot of sorts for the program. While the first week of food was based on what Forager had available on short notice, Henderson said each week’s selections from here on out will be based on a different employee’s favorite meals.
The idea came from an employee who used a meal-kit delivery service before COVID-19 shut everything down, but the local weekly kits have fit nicely into Forager’s broader goals: keep the lights on, and keep as many people on payroll as possible.
"By doing this, we can bring a couple more staff members who work in the kitchen back on,” said Henderson.
About 20 of Forager’s normal 70 full- and part-time employees have been able to retain their jobs. By introducing as many new programs as possible, the hope from Henderson is that revenue will start to come back little by little, so more employees can come back to work.
In the interim, though, she’s counting her blessings.
“I feel like we’ve been very fortunate to stay open and continue to have revenue on a daily basis,” said Henderson.
Going Virtual
While restaurants have been deemed “essential” by Gov. Tim Walz’s administration (even though the seating areas are closed), other businesses in the community have been forced to close their facilities altogether.
At Pure Rock Studios, a building normally filled with the sounds of guitars, drums, voices, and so much more, the practice rooms sit silent. Owner Ryan Utterback said his instructors and students are exclusively running lessons online now — which makes for a hectic few days when trying to line everything up.
“Right now, I’m taking things day by day, but I was doing a little bit more of an hour-to-hour thing the past couple weeks,” said Utterback. “I definitely gained a couple wrinkles.”
On the same block as Pure Rock, Dave Timm’s CrossFit Credence gym also sits empty. Dumbbells, rowers, and most other machines are gone, too — he’s loaned them out to some of the gym’s 270 members through the pandemic.
In addition to lending out equipment, Timm and his crew have kept up with the workouts — even without a place to congregate. Instructors post at-home workout videos three times every day, and Timm also hosts a daily talk each morning about a topic of interest: nutrition, motivation, mindsets, or anything health-related.
The community has stayed close, he says, even without the ability to meet in person — a large part of the CrossFit idea. Some groups of friends have taken to group workouts through Zoom or FaceTime.
“Just because we’re stuck inside doesn’t mean we can’t be healthy,” said Timm. “I think this whole situation has shown how tight the community is at our gym, and how much everyone cares for each other. People are rising to the occasion and saying ‘hey, let’s work out together,’ even though they don’t actually have to physically be together.”
Leaning on the Community
Every excursion outside of the home during the COVID-19 pandemic has become intentional — first as a social understanding, but currently mandated by law. With strict limits on what people can and can’t do, Henderson says she’s received an outpouring of support from Forager faithful in Rochester, plus people driving in from as far away as the Twin Cities (before the stay-at-home order, mind you) to show support with their dollars.
“That’s been super cool, that people are willing — with the time they have and the financial situation — to spend money with us,” said Henderson. “We appreciate it a ton. It makes us feel like this is definitely worth the effort we’re putting in.”
Students like Katie, shown here performing the riff to Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” continue to take virtual lessons at Pure Rock.
Utterback said parents of current and former students have reached out looking for ways to help out, financially or otherwise. The drop-off in lessons hasn’t been incredibly steep, but a decrease in revenue was unavoidable. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its second month, Utterback says a tight-knit community must get even tighter.
“One of your goals, as a small business owner, is to help and benefit the community,” said Utterback. “Now, it’s time for the community to pay that forward, if they can. Take an online lesson, order that take-out, buy those running shoes you’ve been eyeballing. It’s going to come down to that for a lot of people.”
Here’s a sampling of other local businesses that have altered their normal business plans in the past few weeks:
Fox and Swan Arts, run by Rick and Janet Swanson, created a virtual art gallery with pieces that were to be seen at an art exhibition canceled out of COVID-19 concerns.
Healing Rhythms Music Therapy offers virtual music lessons and group telehealth sessions, in place of their normal face-to-face care.
Instead of having people come to the Castle, Neon Green Arts shifted to offering at-home art kits available to pick up. A subscription delivery service is also in the works.
Aventi Entertainment has partnered with My Town My Music, Pappy’s Place, Forager, and other local businesses through their series of live streamed concerts, featuring DJs from Rochester and the West Coast.
After live-streaming their art creation process for 12 hours as a sort of kick-off, Amarama Art started “The heART and Soul” art series. Any creative negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is asked to send in a picture of their eye, which will be turned into a painting and auctioned off in August, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the artist.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
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