Atlanta restaurant owners on the innovation and support that kept them open during the pandemic
This story is part of a special episode of “Closer Look” called “Dining in Atlanta: The Next Course.”
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlanta restaurants continue to face an unpredictable future.
Restaurants have had to adapt through varying public health guidelines and shifts in customers’ dining habits.
On Thursday’s special edition of “Closer Look,” several guests talked about how these adaptations continue to influence the future of Atlanta’s restaurant scene.
First, Beth McKibben, the editor of Eater Atlanta, explains how restaurants have adapted by appealing to neighborhood residents instead of destination diners by installing outdoor seating in place of parking spots, known as parklets.
“The restaurants that listen to where they live are going to do very well,” McKibben said. “Because they’re keyed into the community in which they’re serving.”
Then for a roundtable discussion, Chef Deborah VanTrece, the owner of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, Lis Hernandez, the owner of Arepa Mia, and Jamie Russell, co-the owner of Poor Hendrix, talked with Rose about several topics, including the ups and downs of operating their businesses amid the global health crisis and how innovation and customer support kept their doors open.
“Sometimes I think that’s the nudge that kept me going, is knowing I had the support of so many people behind me,” said VanTrece.
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