Frederick Loew ’22 started working at Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room on University Ave. this year as a host, a position he had experience in from a previous restaurant job. Stanley’s is a family owned restaurant that serves a variety of American food, the most popular menu items being burgers and tacos.
The restaurant is a part of the greater hospitality group Craft and Crew, which also owns The Bar Draft House, Pub 819, and The Howe Daily Kitchen and Bar.
To prioritize safety, capacity has been limited and this is reflected in the massive drop in customers. However, there has been an uptick in ordering takeout, which has kept the restaurant afloat.
The dine-in experience has significantly changed though. Masks do not need to be worn while seated and eating or drinking, but there is a zero-tolerance policy towards walking around the restaurant without a mask. The space was rearranged to prioritize social distancing measures between tables.
Employees like Loew must carefully sanitize the restaurant between each customer and on frequently touched surfaces. Loew described the variety of safety measures, saying, They even changed the air filtration system to make it safer for when customers are not wearing masks.
During the summer, the restaurant expanded to a food truck, which was another safe alternative to dining-in that Loew was involved in. However, due to the colder weather, the food truck is no longer serving.
The restaurant industry has proved its adaptability time and time again as they create new measures to continue serving food while keeping the community safe. Governor Walz’s new restrictions have actually closed Stanley’s dine-in for the time being and only takeout is allowed. Several employees have been furloughed until the restaurant opens up again after these new safety measures.
