June 8 was a day that Robin and Sylvia Garchinski, owners of the Fired Up Grill restaurant in Estevan, have been waiting for since mid-March.
That was the day that the restaurant could finally have customers in its dining room, lounge and patio once again. And while it wasn鈥檛 back to normal, the Garchinskis, and their staff, were still pleased to see their guests again. 聽
The restaurant had to close the eating in component of its business in mid-March, but they still had delivery and pick-up. Those two services doubled in demand the past few months, allowing the business to retain 13 of 23 employees, although with reduced hours.
鈥淭hey all understand,鈥� said Garchinski. 鈥淭hey were happy to get out of their homes and come and try to make a little bit of normal out of this situation.鈥�
Employees have handled the past few months well, and they鈥檙e coping with the new normal. A staff meeting was last week with the servers to discuss policies and procedures, and they were very happy to come back to work.
Customers have also adapted to the past three months.
鈥淓verybody was excited that we were opening on June 8,鈥� said Robin. 鈥淚 actually had a reservation for six o鈥檆lock on June 8th for a 90th birthday party. So that was a little bit surprising.鈥�
Sylvia is pleased with how everybody has adapted to their changes during the pandemic.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so blessed to have the employees and the customers that we have in Estevan at our location,鈥� said Sylvia. 鈥淚 am pleased that everybody has stayed healthy and safe. It鈥檚 a whole new norm that everybody is adjusting to, but I鈥檓 very thankful for the support and all of the hard work and participation of our staff during this very difficult time.鈥�
People who come to Fired Up Grill will get to enjoy meat that is cut in-house by Robin. His family owns a butcher shop, Big Bob鈥檚 Meats, in Regina, and from a young age, he had to work and help the family business. His father was Big Bob.
鈥淢y training is all through my dad and through the family business,鈥� Robin said.
It means that he鈥檒l trim the fat from the meat and cut it to the proper size for steaks, and then wrap them and get them ready for the kitchen to cook.
Robin said he likes the customers to know that he takes pride in the cuts of meat that they serve.
鈥淚 do know with the abilities that I have that I can provide top-quality steaks for them,鈥� he said.
They also make their own meat sauces, dressings, alfredo sauce and soups, and they prepare fresh dough each morning. It means they do everything that people would do in their own home when they prepare a meal.
It鈥檚 extra work, but it鈥檚 worth it and people appreciate the effort.
Renovations have also taken place in the lounge, with fresh paint, new upholstery for booths and seats.
鈥淲e were actually able to hire five local businesses to assist between painting and new signs,鈥� said Sylvia. 鈥淲e鈥檙e actually going to start our online ordering.鈥�
The business can only have 50 per cent occupancy, but between the restaurant, lounge and patio 鈥� voted as Estevan鈥檚 favourite by the readers of the Estevan Mercury through the Best of Estevan contest earlier this year 鈥� they can still handle about 150 people. The patio gives them extra seating, so it鈥檚 good timing to have the restaurant open again and the patio accessible.
鈥淲e miss our customers, and I think they miss us too,鈥� said Robin. 鈥淲e get familiar with their habits and what they eat and what they drink, and just the face to face contact has been eliminated out of this COVID virus. We鈥檙e looking forward to getting back to some 鈥� temporary new normal.鈥�
People will still have to practise social distancing, and there will be different ways of serving their guests. Signs are spread out throughout the restaurant, but Sylvia is asking people to be patient as they adapt.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a learning curve for everybody, for business owners, for employees and for customers,鈥� she said.
