In The Know with Chamber-Main Street: A ‘Shout-Out’ to the Community from Osceola’s Resilient Restaurant and Coffee Shop Owners

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*not everyone responded by the deadline

A new member of the community recently stopped in the OCMS office to retrieve a welcome basket. He moved here from a large city in the Southeast, and stated living in a smaller town where everything was easier to get to, fewer people, etc. was his answer to a less stressful life after dealing with a pandemic in a big city. As his basket was filled with local information and promotional items, the discussion turned to local points of interest and places to eat.

When ‘carry out and delivery only’ rules were put in place, local restaurant and coffee shop owners spent many hours and days reinventing their business model. Now that dining rooms may open, most of them are reinventing, again. It is okay if you are not ready to dine-in, because we have you covered with Clarke County Takeout and Delivery: facebook.com/groups/2691046307782519/

After being closed for several weeks, The Osceola Eagles is now open to everyone and has a new, local chef!  Brock Bucy is creating the menu and dinner is served Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5-9PM. Between the dining room and ballroom, there is plenty of room to follow the rules of social distancing. Additionally, Bingo, with the largest jackpot in Southern Iowa, resumes every Monday for the first 30 people in the door @ 6:25 and 6:45.

Iron Horse Neighborhood Grill owners Bob and Courtney White said they have been overwhelmed by the support shown as they reopened for dine-in business, “Even as we have been strictly following state and federal guidance on masks, gloves and social distancing. We feel a great responsibility to ensure the safety of our staff and customers and appreciate the public’s understanding of our actions.”

Combatting waste associated with the regulations is a huge consideration. Courtney says rather than only offering one-use menus, they created scannable QR Code menus that link customers to all menus via their website and they only offer condiments as requested.

Courtney says the restaurant continues to receive a record number of carryout orders; they are working to institute online ordering to open phone lines during peak ordering times. “We wish to thank the community for their ongoing support as we have learned to operate under these unique circumstances. Please join our mailing list at www.ironhorseneighborhoodgrill.com for the latest updates and special offers.”

Los Botas Mexican Grill had opened just two weeks before the pandemic shut down, and Manager, Denise Gonzalez credits strong community support for their transition to carry-out only, ”[it] played a HUGE factor in us keeping our doors open and allowing us to be known by new customers!” She said people were just starting to get to know who they were, but recently, they have seen a lot of new faces. The Osceola restaurant is one of three locations impacted by the shutdown, but the communities helped them get through. Denise said they are open for dine-in again at 50% capacity and comply with all the regulations set for everyone’s health. facebook.com/LasBotasMexican3/

Subway (Highway 34) Owner/Manager, Adam Thompson thanks the community for supporting Subway for 29 years and sends an extra shoutout for supporting Subway during this pandemic. Adam stated, “I am forever grateful to live in a small community who supports one another. We are all truly in this pandemic together; let’s make this summer the best we can! Stay safe and stay healthy!”

With the help of OCMS Executive Director, Ashleigh Eckels, Timber Ridge Country Market co-owner, Kim Jackson, posted a short video on Facebook of the store and all the local products they offer. Kim said, “it was quick- ten minutes, painless and she has noticed lots of shares and likes.”  facebook.com/timberridgecountrymarket/

Timber Ridge is known for using local products in their menu as well, and Kim says radishes, lettuce and asparagus are coming in, and they look forward to strawberries.

Do you know Timber Ridge is part of the Iowa Food Co-op? Kim said their orders are up and they must close the cart early every week to have room for sorting the products when they arrive. To learn more or join, go to iowafood.coop.

Nana Greer’s Family Table- Owners Doug and Amber Smith used the time they were closed to freshen their building and create a plan to meet the challenges of reopening. Doug said it has been a challenging learning curve and they completely changed their way of serving the public.

A host will seat customers; people will pay at the table because the cash register station was removed to avoid traffic jams and to make way for more seating. Most notably, their self-serve salad bar and buffet are no longer in use. Family Table will offer curbside delivery and takeout, but the large dining space can still hold about 70 people with the proper distancing.

The Smiths also simplified the menu to cut food and preparation costs. Doug noted, “It’s challenging to price food because costs constantly change, and I hope the public understands meal prices could vary.” Doug and Amber want the community to know they are incredibly grateful for all the community support, and they are eager to see their customers again. facebook.com/NanaGreersFamilyTableRestaurant/

China Star customers will need to continue with carry-out orders because the Chen Family is not, yet, comfortable with dine-in and say it could be weeks or more before they open the dining room.

Howie Chen said although they closed for nearly a month, orders have been good. He said also said they miss having their customers in the restaurant, “it’s weird.” Although the menu is not on-line, customers may come in to view it and order for take-out.  

The Alley Bowl joined the Clarke County Take Out and Delivery Facebook group, and owner Stan Giza said they appreciate all the support they received. He said they probably won’t offer a dine in option but will continue with take-out as long as people want it.

Normally, the bowling alley is not open in the summer because of lack of business, but Stan plans to open in September as usual.  facebook.com/alleybowl2017/

 To discover more about these local restaurants and what they offer, please visit their Facebook or websites.

La Corona-facebook.com/LaCoronaMexicanRestaurant/

Mayberry’s Coffee House and Eatery- www.facebook.com/mayberryseatery/

Home Brew and Vintage Finds-facebook.com/homebrewandvintagefinds/

Playa Margaritas-facebook.com/Playa-margaritas-mexican-1787521454894077/

 To keep-up with the latest options visit Clarke County Take Out & Delivery, facebook.com/groups/2691046307782519/