Coronavirus In Minnesota: Whitey's Old Town Saloon Adapts To The Times
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A northeast Minneapolis bar is getting help in this time of need.
"I've seen an incredible amount of generosity," said Andy Nagle, a bar manager at Whitey's Old Town Saloon. "We've had regulars who come in, and say they just get a burger and they go around their car and say, 'throw another hundred dollars on there and just pay it forward to the next however-many customers.'"
Bars and restaurants have been especially hard-hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many - like Whitey's - have adapted to the change.
"We've really slimmed down our menu, and got it down to wings, cheeseburgers, and our famous roast beef sandwich," said Nagle. "Figured out what do we have, what products we have, what makes sense to keep selling.
Though Gov. Tim Walz has allowed restaurants to stay open, they're not permitted, as of yet, to continue selling alcohol.
"We've gone from being a bar, a saloon and selling liquor to just trying to sell whatever we can to, you, know, keep the lights on," Nagle said.
Still, the generosity Nagle has seen from the community makes him emotional.
"I get choked up talking about it right now because we're just such a neighborhood bar and we've just always had such great customers, clientele, friends: it's like a community."
Nagle says it's the little things that helps keep the restaurant afloat. Not only buying take-out, but writing online reviews and commenting on social media goes a long way.
