An emergency order from the Governor:
Under authority granted to her in a civil state of emergency, Governor Janet Mills today issued an Executive Order mandating that all restaurants and bars statewide close to dine-in customers effective today, March 18, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. for a period of 14 days until midnight, March 31, 2020. Take-out, delivery, and drive-through options can continue.
Woodford F&B is participating in the Feeding the Frontline project.
We’re fielding mounting questions from near & far about how best for people to help. We think #FeedingtheFrontline is a good answer. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be making daily deliveries of our delicious cheese burger to local folks on the front line of this situation. We plan to do this in increments of 5 burgers, and we’ll do as many as we can. The initial list of recipients we’re targeting includes local hospitals & nearby assisted living facilities, but we’ll work to grow the list quickly & welcome recommendations.
To support their effort call them to purchase any increments of 5 burgers to be delivered to a local organization. (207) 200-8503.
Solo Italiano has joined Woodford in this initiative. Every $100 purchase will provide 5 lasagne to those assisting the elderly, sick and needy with weekly deliveries on Thursdays. Solo will be directing proceeds will go to “the staff we are retaining as well as to an in-house relief fund to the rest of our staff that has been laid off.”
Luke’s has joined in too. They’re “donating 50 lobster rolls in our DIY Lobster Roll Kits to the incredible workers on the front lines in Maine, donating to a different hospital each day.”
Yesterday and overnight chefs from Portland restaurant have been assembling thousands of meals for Portland school children. See pictures of them hard at work: at Chaval, Tipo, and Little Giant.
This initiatives is being funded by Full Plates Full Potential. You can donate to the emergency fund online.
The City has made an announcement to institute a partial curfew over the next few days,
Portland City Manager Jon Jennings announced today he is instituting a mandated curfew for establishments where groups gather from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM on Tuesday, March 17-18 and then daily from 8:00 PM until 2:00 AM on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (March 18 – 22) in light of the need to practice social distancing in order to lessen the community spread and flatten the curve of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The all day curfew on Tuesday is intended to curb St. Patrick’s Day events and festivities, but take-out and delivery of food is still permitted.
As part of that announcement the City has also
strongly recommending all restaurants close to dine-in customers, or dramatically limit the number of customers, and provide takeout or delivery options only for the foreseeable future. While this is the preferable option, the City understands that some restaurants may not be set up to do so. Additionally, the City recommends that all gyms and fitness studios close.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has taken a look at how the restaurant community is responding to the corona virus and people’s need to engage in social distancing.
As concern over coronavirus grows, Maine’s restaurants are taking preventive measures to ensure customers and employees feel safe shopping and dining. They’ve gotten aggressive about hand washing and sanitizing surfaces, and are reminding employees to stay home if they’re sick. Restaurants are reconsidering buffets, and flirting with offering takeout. Dining rooms are getting new footprints as tables and chairs are re-arranged or removed to give customers more “social distance.”
Restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses in Portland are responding to Covid-19 in a variety of ways focused on enabling social distancing and supporting the health of their customers and staff. Here is an incomplete and growing list:
Check your favorite spot’s social media accounts for more details about what they’re individually doing to address the situations.
Please post a comment and let me know if you see additional approaches emerging that should be highlighted in this list.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has published some advice on picking the right location for a date.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we wondered which local restaurants and bars are best for making a love connection? Does Cupid prefer craft beer or Champagne? White tablecloths, low lighting and whispered sweet nothings, or a casual vibe with lively music, noisy chatter and a down-to-earth menu? Here are a few ideas for igniting, or re-igniting, that spark over food and libations, no matter what your dating status.
The Brew Bus has announced a merger with Dave’s Travel and Events from Sydney, Australia. The newly formed joint company, Vestigo Travel Group, have also announced plans to purchase a majority stake in the North Carolina firm Brews Cruise which was founded in 2006 and “licenses brewery tour operators around the United States, with nine current locations in cities such as Asheville, Boise, Charlotte, Denver, and Raleigh.”
The Brew Bus was founded in Portland in 2012 and now runs tours in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Dave’s Travel and Events “was originally founded as Dave’s Brewery Tours in Sydney, Australia in 2014, and has grown to become the largest provider of tours and activities in Sydney.”
“We have always wanted to work together in some way since we met at a beer tourism conference several years ago,” said Zach Poole[, founder of The Brew Bus]. “Dave has quickly become part of the Portland community and we have plans to create new opportunities not only here in Maine but in other parts of the country.”
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article on the burgeoning number of specialty food and beverage businesses in Maine.
The number of food and beverage manufacturing companies in Maine grew 35 percent from 2007 to 2017, according to federal census data gathered by James C. McConnon Jr., a Cooperative Extension business and economics specialist and economics professor at the University of Maine. Over that same 10-year period, the number of all Maine businesses, of all kinds, dropped 2 percent, he said.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an overview of the vegan and vegetarian options in town.
Portland’s plant-based restaurant scene is booming, with at least 11 all-vegetarian eateries in the city. That number doesn’t include Portland’s veg-friendly spots, which according to Yelp.com number more than 200, and according to Rent.com’s recent calculations earned the city the No. 6 spot on its list of the Best American Cities for Vegans.
This scene went into overdrive at the end of 2019.