How Oregon’s Adventure Coast Restaurants Stepped Up During COVID-19 Crisis
Please Note: As of May 15th, Coos County area restaurants are allowed to re-open for dining as long as they can meet the new guidelines. This does not mean that all restaurants are open for dine-in service so be sure to call before you go. Many of our restaurants are still offering outstanding take-out and delivery services that we highly recommend.
“It’s been eight weeks since we had to face the unknown world the Coronavirus pandemic ushered us into…Restaurants by nature is a risky endeavor to begin with and our survival in the midst of a pandemic was unforeseeable. Today we can thankfully say, not only have we survived these challenging times but we have thrived and proven to be resilient and adapted with fortitude.” - Restaurant O
The Coos Bay ~ North Bend ~ Charleston community takes a great deal of pride in our locally owned businesses and restaurants. Dozens of innovative chefs and restaurateurs from all over the country have brought their culinary gifts to Oregon’s Adventure Coast with new additions every year ranging from comfort food, deli, ethnic, seafood and fine dining.
As we all know, restaurants all over the country were ordered to close last March to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but that didn’t stop our restaurant community! Our local eateries, many of them family-owned, pivoted from their signature menus and found ways to provide takeout and delivery while keeping employees and customers safe. Many restaurant owners like Jon from Monkey Business Food to Go worked extra hours to keep their customers happy. Other restaurants like Cafe Mediterranean , Sumin’s Restaurant, and Coach House , (all of whom got shout-outs on Facebook ) also went above and beyond to serve local diners.
These hometown heroes came together and gave us a sense of comfort and connection at a time when we needed it the most. Several business owners even went beyond the call of duty and offered help and assistance to our most vulnerable citizens by giving back. Read how some local restaurants stepped up during these uniquely challenging times:
Since the Covid-19 closure, the 7 Devils Public House kitchen has churned out an estimated 1920 free meals to out-of-work community members and the homeless. These meals were funded by direct donations from their patrons, and from their “buy a meal donate a meal” program.
[Restaurant O ](https://www.restauranto.us/)was able to provide meals to the homeless community and foster children that were unable to utilize school-provided meals. They also fed first-line responders, local police and firefighters, and nurses and are still going strong! “To this day, we are receiving calls or drop-ins from folks wanting to fund these meals. These dark times have proven that the generosity and kindness of our community is far more contagious than this novel virus. The human spirit soldiers on and we are so grateful for your support and most especially to our staff who stood by our side and stared into the eye of adversity with resolve.” - _Chef O’Neill_
And so many of our restaurants really rose to the occasion to serve our children who may not have been able to get their normal school lunch. We give a shout out to [Elkhorn BBQ & Food Truck](https://www.facebook.com/elkhornbbq/), [Kaffe 101](https://www.facebook.com/kaffe.101/), [Domino’s Pizza](https://www.facebook.com/Dominos-Coos-Bay-7261-105984417536283/), [Mean Street Sandwich Shop](https://www.facebook.com/MeanStreetCoosBay/), and [Top Dog Coffee Company](https://www.facebook.com/TopDogCoffeeCompany/) to name just a few.
Our generous community also stepped up to support our restaurants to the best of our ability to help them stay afloat, keep staff employed and help feed our hungry community and those in need. A Facebook Group, [Coos County Food Delivery And Take Out](https://www.facebook.com/groups/2757874947622484/about/), was formed to help boost sales for local restaurants by giving them a space to promote specials, take out, delivery, and other important news.
These are only a few examples of how the Coos Bay ~ North Bend ~ Charleston community came together to overcome the many challenges to stay open during this unprecedented time. We’re so proud of this community and the good that has come out of an otherwise devastating few weeks. As we transition into the Phase One reopening of restaurants and other businesses it’s important to remain patient as restaurants and bars are required to space tables at least six feet apart and employees must wear face coverings. Many of the businesses are pivoting once again to adapt to these new measures, so we hope we will all be patient and kind to our local businesses and continue to support them.
Even though parts of our economy are open, the Stay Home, Stay Safe order is still in effect. Let’s all follow the guidelines for helping us all stay safe and healthy and continue to dream of the day you can safely return to Oregon’s Adventure Coast.
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