Collected Item: “Maple Street Biscuit Co.”
Give your story a title.
Maple Street Biscuit Co.
What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?
Photographs, Interview
Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.
Maple Street Biscuit Co restaurant located in downtown Saint Augustine, FL. Several signs posted on the front doors read: "Dear Guests, Your safety is our top priority. If you have any of the following symptoms, we ask that you do not enter: Fever, Cough." Another sign read: "We ask you please wear a face mask upon entering our community store." A sign that sits on the counter by the register read: "Out of respect for other guests and our team, please do not reach behind our counter."
Brief interview with Community Leader (Store Manager) Emilee O'Kelley:
What Plan did you come up with to ensure the safety of your guests and employees?
It is actually not my plan. The plan was implemented by corporate and distributed to all locations. In the beginning of lockdown, we tried to do as much to ensure that we could keep our stores up and running. First, we shut down our dining rooms. We made everything to go and third-party delivery. We went down to a limited menu. And we opened a community store where people could buy pasta, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap, paper towels and produce to ensure that our community was taken care of as well. Right now our dining room is back open to 50 percent capacity in compliance with Florida guidelines. All of the tables are 6 feet away from each other and were taking extra precautions by making sure all of team members are wearing masks. We offer guests plastic cutlery. We stopped operating self-serve stations and now a team member assists guests.
Do your employees currently receive hazard pay?
No
How has your business operations or income changed since COVID and quarantine?
Income definitely. We were used to doing $2000-dollar weekdays and $6000-dollar weekends and during quarantine we were only making max 600 dollars a day. With the travel ban lifted we have slowly gotten back to normal operations, but it is still not the same.
Did you implement curbside takeout? How did that transition go?
We did not advertise curbside takeout, but if they called and asked us to bring it out to their car, we would. We mostly shifted in a way to make our guests as comfortable as possible while following our corporate guidelines.
Have you had any issues with customers since the implementation of new guidelines, specifically the mask mandate?
No, because our store does not strictly require a mask mandate. We politely ask that our customers wear a mask, but they will not refuse service.
Are your employees allowed to ask customers to wear a mask?
No
Brief interview with Community Leader (Store Manager) Emilee O'Kelley:
What Plan did you come up with to ensure the safety of your guests and employees?
It is actually not my plan. The plan was implemented by corporate and distributed to all locations. In the beginning of lockdown, we tried to do as much to ensure that we could keep our stores up and running. First, we shut down our dining rooms. We made everything to go and third-party delivery. We went down to a limited menu. And we opened a community store where people could buy pasta, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap, paper towels and produce to ensure that our community was taken care of as well. Right now our dining room is back open to 50 percent capacity in compliance with Florida guidelines. All of the tables are 6 feet away from each other and were taking extra precautions by making sure all of team members are wearing masks. We offer guests plastic cutlery. We stopped operating self-serve stations and now a team member assists guests.
Do your employees currently receive hazard pay?
No
How has your business operations or income changed since COVID and quarantine?
Income definitely. We were used to doing $2000-dollar weekdays and $6000-dollar weekends and during quarantine we were only making max 600 dollars a day. With the travel ban lifted we have slowly gotten back to normal operations, but it is still not the same.
Did you implement curbside takeout? How did that transition go?
We did not advertise curbside takeout, but if they called and asked us to bring it out to their car, we would. We mostly shifted in a way to make our guests as comfortable as possible while following our corporate guidelines.
Have you had any issues with customers since the implementation of new guidelines, specifically the mask mandate?
No, because our store does not strictly require a mask mandate. We politely ask that our customers wear a mask, but they will not refuse service.
Are your employees allowed to ask customers to wear a mask?
No
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
#staugustine, #flaglercollege, #maplestreet, #interview, #pandemic, #mask
Enter a URL associated with this object, if relevant.
https://publichumanities.omeka.net/items/show/36
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
Kathryn Broomell
Give this story a date.
2020-06-15