21/10/2021
Thank you!!🧡💛💚
First off, just as an update, we’ve decided to do a Thursday through Monday schedule in November and most of December, with plans to return to being open every night of the week after Christmas. We’re also going to be closed from November 4th through the 11th, as well as December 1st through the 9th. We’re working on some fun stuff to do in the slow times, so we’ll be sure to keep you posted!
Secondly, Thanksgiving has historically been a day when we’re closed up and hunkered down at home. Since we’re open this November, the equation has changed, but I also don’t want to make my coworkers work and be away from their families. At the same time, I can’t help but feel like there’s an opportunity to do something good.
With that in mind, I’d like to do something a little different. Please keep in mind that this will not be a normal day of service, so keep your fingers away from the Yelp review button. My dad, my gal and I, along with whatever staff want to help out, are going to make what we’d want to make for Thanksgiving; smoked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some other random sides. You know Jim’s got the pie situation covered, too. Drinks will be limited, depending on how much help we manage to wrangle. It will be a reservation only event booked via Tock.
The cost will be zero dollars. I know it’s been a tough year for a lot of us, and I know that budgets might be tight or that some people might otherwise be alone on Thanksgiving. When I was a kid and my parents took me somewhere on vacation, I often remember them talking about the tight knit community of the UP as a big reason that they left their lives in the city to call this home. If I’m being honest, I think it’s undeniable that some of those closely knit threads have begun to unravel, and I’d like to see a return to those more neighborly days. Maybe this can be a small step towards that.
While I’m happy to feed anyone for free on Thanksgiving, I think there’s also an opportunity for all of us to do more. Any money collected will be donated to the Western Upper Peninsula Food Bank, and we’ll cover the sales tax and all of that stuff, so 100% of your donation will go towards helping people who need it. They get some huge discounts on buying food in bulk, so your dollars will go further than they would on your own. If you want to ball out and drink some expensive whisky or a gangster bottle of champagne, you can go to bed that night knowing that you also did a good thing.
This has been a tough year for everyone. We can’t control a lot of what’s changed, but we do have it within all of us to be better neighbors and to take care of our own. At the end of the day, all of our differences are small, and nothing brings people together quite like eating and drinking together. I’m thankful for your support, along with everyone who makes this place run on a day to day basis, and I look forward to celebrating with you.
