In March when the coronavirus pandemic began threatening Alaska, and restaurants began closing down, many switched gears into food take-out. But not Homer landmark Alice’s Champagne Palace.
General Manager Josh Tobin decided to take a different route and offer no-contact grocery ordering instead. Using his existing food service industry distribution system, Tobin began taking orders for items ranging from steaks and fresh fruit to cleaning supplies and toilet paper, something that was in short supply in the early days of Alaskans hunkering down.
Now, more than three months since starting, Tobin says the grocery service is still keeping him busy.
“It's been going pretty well. It's not as large as it was when we first started that first four weeks or so when we were doing that. I think people were scared. We also had a lot of stuff that the grocery stores didn't have,” Tobin said. “And I think those two things combined, you know, had us really busy. Now it seems like people are a little less scared and the grocery stores again are fully stocked.”
Even with those changing market factors, Tobin says it still makes sense to offer the service.
“I mean, it's not going to keep Alice's afloat in and of itself, but there's no reason to discontinue it,” Tobin said. “We don't lose money doing it, and it's a benefit for the community.”
Just before Memorial Day, Governor Dunleavy began reopening businesses in the state, including restaurants. Tobin says Alice’s reopened and is operating at about 40 percent capacity. The bar and grill has long been a local favorite for nightlife, but not so much lately.
“It's just a huge segment of our income, of our business that's gone. And we're generally, instead of being open till midnight or one every night, we're generally closed by eight or nine,” Tobin said. “And it's just that part of the business has gone for now.”
But, Tobin says the combination of the restaurant’s business and the no-contact grocery is enough to keep things running as-is.
“I haven't figured out a good way to sort of predict what's going to happen next,” Tobin said. “And we're just kind of dealing with what's in front of us and doing the best we can to be responsible for our staff, to be responsible for the community and our customers.”
A new item that is listed with the no-contract grocery is fresh, locally harvested sockeye salmon. Tobin says the fish are sold in the round, so purchasers can have almost the full experience of catching and processing the fish without having to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others while angling or dipnetting.
