It鈥檚 been a roller coaster ride for Black Beard鈥檚 Restaurant.
The venerable Estevan restaurant, located in the Days Inn, was forced to shut down in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But they started to operate a carry-out service on April 27, and they have changed their business model as well.
Brittany Zahn, the food and beverage manager at Black Beard鈥檚, said they have a carry-out service that is open from Monday to Saturday. People can call in at 306-634-6456 for their favourite Black Beard鈥檚 appetizers and supper meals, or they can order online through the bbtogo.ca website, with pickup in the castle doors.
Online ordering hasn't been offered previously.
鈥淥ur whole menu is there. It鈥檚 super easy to use, which is a big benefit, because nothing is more annoying than having to struggle to order some food online,鈥� Zahn told the Mercury.
Their burgers and fries have likely been their most popular option. Wing Wednesdays have done very well. The restaurant has all of the nightly specials they had before it was forced to close the dining room two months ago.
Poutines have also been a popular option.
The Black Beard鈥檚 breakfast menu has not been added as of yet, and Zahn isn鈥檛 sure when that will happen. But she expects they will be accepting lunch orders soon.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten a lot of phone calls, and obviously people are going back to work, and with Estevan being a little bit busier with construction and all of these other things, I think it鈥檚 brought more people out who would be needing lunch, so I think that鈥檚 something we鈥檙e going to be doing in the fairly immediate future,鈥� said Zahn.
Black Beard鈥檚 has started to do pre-ordered, pre-made meals, so people can order lasagne, marinated chicken, steaks and other meals that they pick up and prepare at home. All meals come with a choice of potato or salad.
鈥淭hey can pre-order and pick-up, and they can freeze it or make it at home or do what they like with it. We have options for two and four people, to try to just make that easier for people.鈥�
Barbecue packs include foods to barbecue at home, and they have grocery essential packs with potatoes, dairy products and vegetables. Protein packs, with a variety of meats, have been their most popular order.
The first week in late April was really busy for them, because people hadn鈥檛 had their Black Beard鈥檚 fix for six or seven weeks. Since that time, the demand has been steady.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been good being open again,鈥� said Zahn.
It鈥檚 also allowed them to rehire six or seven staff members so they have people to prepare the meals and take the order and payments.
People seem to be enjoying Black Beard鈥檚 new takeout system, she said. The customers she has talked to are happy to have their favourite foods again and they find the online ordering system easy to use.
And some have found that the cost of the nightly specials are similar to what it would cost to feed a family of four from a fast food establishment.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a lot of value in our food and our service, so I think that鈥檚 starting to speak for itself, too,鈥� she said.
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