We were able to get some from our suppliers, so we did that as a fun offering. When the toilet paper shortage happened, we offered a roll of toilet paper with your take-out order.

And we had a lot of great feedback from people. And again, communicating that to the guests so that they were comfortable coming here. So that’s how we survived the short term.īut then beyond that, again, it was setting up the seating in a way where people were comfortable and safe and making sure that we were following all the sanitation practices. It was under a week, and both facilities had those things happening. So that was really quite an effort by our entire retail team at both facilities to get that set up quickly. Advertisementsīut we couldn’t have people staying here and eating on-premises. Alternatively, you could go into the facility if your face is covered. You could place your order from your computer or your phone and come here and do curbside pickup. In under a week, both of our facilities were set up for online ordering and delivery setups. The governor’s executive order closed down our on-premise operation completely, so we had to transition quickly.

We didn’t do a significant amount of take-out. We also, right out of the gate, when the COVID restrictions first came to us in March of 2020, at that point, really didn’t have an online ordering system set up. So like I’ve said, those things that we added made a big difference. Steve: In this, front of the house part of it, it’s really been about innovation, creating unique offerings, and trying to make it memorable for the guest and have them feel comfortable and safe given the circumstances we’ve faced over that period. Peter: What do you attribute your survival over the last 16 months here? So that you can pretty much travel from anywhere in Vermont on a snowmobile to get here if the conditions permit it. There’s a snowmobile access trail from the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers’ system. People can also arrive here by snowmobile in the winter. It was really a pleasant situation to have the snow falling. We had them set up around our outdoor wood-burning fire pit, so you could look through a big window and see the fire burning. They’d have a little heater just to take the chill off but be in an enclosed space to themselves away from other parties. So a party of six could be sitting inside their own little hut with its table inside, and the servers would bring them their food and beverages. We also built some “warming huts,” with seating for six. But believe it or not, people really became more hardy this year, so they were enjoying sitting by a propane fire outside. This last winter, our guests really were not excited about sitting outside and in the cold weather.

Steve: This facility, in particular, I really feel like this outdoor space draws a lot of people in, and you know, even in the winter months, we really did a lot of innovation last year, again with the COVID situation, we really tried to develop the outdoor space so that people could be distanced and stay safe and feel comfortable coming. Peter: Super! Ok, would you describe the brewery here? Steve: Well, welcome to the Windsor Brewery here Peter, glad to have you. Peter: This is The Old Growler, Pete LaFrance, and we’re here in Windsor, Vermont at the Harpoon Brewery, and we’re going to be talking to Steve Miller.

Harpoon windsor vt