Fred Williams and Jesse Roberts - Firehall Kitchen & Tap

I’d like to introduce Jesse Roberts and Fred Williams, owners of Firehall Kitchen and Tap in Cranbrook.

What impact has Covid-19 had on your business?

We are working harder for less sales. We’re constantly updating practices and policies in this ever-changing climate. We were closed for one month, operated a take-out and delivery model for one month, and then opened as our current selves, as a half-capacity, much-changed, but still the same, craft beer gastropub. Our old business plan, while awesome in its day, became irrelevant overnight. So, we dug deep, and with excitement, built a new plan for this new world. We changed our floorplan, operations, created new positions, built walls, modified booth seating with plexiglass uppers, implemented a waitlist app, and cut our capacity by more than 50%.

We built food and drink stands to prop at customer tables so servers and customers never need to pass items directly, all bussing and cleaning requires PPE and a staff member trained in safe cleaning practices. We created entrance and exit host & payment stands, appointing a different door and location as the exit to better control the flow of traffic in and out of our restaurant. Covid has forced us to change how we do everything, but it has reaffirmed why we do everything.

What is something positive that you’ve experienced during this unprecedented time?

Our community's spirit. Owners of local businesses, even with closed stores and frozen revenue streams have continued to come to our restaurant and support our business. Some of the business owners that have been sheltered through this experience have purchased gift cards for their staff to bolster our sales and thank their team for sticking with them. This support has put us in a position to pay it forward and help other businesses that haven’t been as lucky. We are so happy to be open and see our friends, staff, and guests again. If covid has taught us anything, it’s that our lives aren’t complete without you in them.

What have you been doing to stay positive and create some personal joy through all of this?

Being very family oriented and outdoorsy people, we've been making the most of the ’staycation’ limitation by doing more of what we love already; Getting out for family hikes and camping in the beautiful wilderness that surrounds us, heading out for safely distanced mountain bike rides with the people that are "in our bubble”, catching up on projects around our homes, and just doing our best to maintain a positive mindset toward moving forward with life.

Is there anything specific you’d like to share, or wish people were aware of right now?

The important thing to do right now is survive. Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t hitting the same level of productivity or ambition as you did in 2019, just survive and help people where you can. Take day off. Do what you need to do to be your best self and handle the increased stress you’re experiencing. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? Have you gotten some exercise lately? How about your mental health? Go walk your dog. Have a movie night. Sleep in. Help others. Breathe.