Joel Davis knew it was coming, but it didn’t make it any easier. The March 16 closure of Tampa’s Armature Works Heights Public Market forced Davis’ coffee bar, Union—named one of the top shops in America by Food & Wine—to shutter as well. That meant no more income to support Union’s 13 employees.
“I had been trying to prepare myself mentally and emotionally as well as preparing my staff for what I felt was inevitable. I think the hardest part of it all was not having a say in any of it,” Davis told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. He believes Armature Works did the right thing by voluntarily closing before the City of Tampa asked it to, but while other shops—like nearby King State, which was named no. 8 on that Food & Wine list—had the option of curbside or to-go service, Union did not.
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“That’s something that really hurt us,” Davis added. So friends at the Seminole Heights Meat Market less than two miles away let Davis set up his Commune + Co. pressure brew trike and a mobile espresso bar. But after a week, even that ended up not being feasible as health concerns and social distancing measures moved Davis to do the right thing for the wellbeing of his employees.
That staff, out of work for nearly a month now, is now the beneficiary of pre-orders of two “Corona Crisis” relief T-shirts designed by Tampa Bay artist Jujmo. One shirt is pink and the other is black. Both say, “Because the best (and worst) things in life are shared” on them, and each has its own design. They’re available for just $25 and will ship on a date to be determined. In the meantime, Davis and his staff are coping and trying to be mindful about it. He’s got them linked up to the virtual tip jar, and he’s appliting for every relief opportunity our government is providing.
“I’m just doing what I can. [The staff is] my biggest concern. They are the best thing I’ve ever had going for me, and I want to make sure I support them in any way I can through all of this in hopes they can stay whole,” Davis said, adding that he’s focusing on what he can control and doing everything he can to ensure Union is ready and able to open back up as soon as the virus passes and this is “over.”
“But we’re here—as stressed and anxious as everyone else—but here nonetheless,” Davis added. “I’m anxious to see what the new 'normal' looks like post pandemic. I don’t think we’ll ever be the same."
"I hope we learn some lessons and come out smarter at the least. Maybe more tender?”
And there are still more ways to practice that tenderness Davis mentioned, thanks to so many philanthropic efforts happening across the Bay area. Find links to these on ctampa.com/food, but here are just a few:
- onBikes founder Julius Tobin is spearheading a “Fueling the Frontlines” grassroots movement that aims to connect local restaurants with hospitals and clinics to deliver fresh, hot meals to health care workers fighting coronavirus on the front lines. The initiative quickly hit its 30-day goal of $12,000. “Our partner restaurants will be delivering lunch and dinner at an average cost of $12 per person per meal,” Tobin wrote on GoFundMe. “We aspire to feed as many of them as possible, as long as this lasts.” Fueling the Frontlines on GoFundMe
- Tampa Bay Beer Week (TBBW) is giving local breweries up to $1,000 during the coronavirus pandemic thanks to a donation from the Redner Family Foundation. The monies come from a dollar for dollar sales matching program happening at 10 breweries and 10 on-premise retailers—for a total of 20 businesses—which will be the initial beneficiaries of a single day promotion. Locations will be announced and promoted on TBBW’s website and social media channels. INFO
- Taco Bus is once again donating meals—this time more than 300—to local first responders. You can support the effort by visiting the chain, which is keeping it Chido by offering takeout and delivery in addition to bus loads of essentials like frozen beef, shrimp, chicken breast, bread, toilet paper and paper towels. taco-bus.com
- As the pandemic surges, the pressure on nonprofits like Metropolitan Ministries, which continues to feed Tampa Bay’s most vulnerable families via its drive-thru food pantry. It’s in desperate need of non-perishable food donations and cash. metromin.org
- The United States Bartenders Guild in Tampa provides free Sunday family takeout dinners to aid affected hospitality employees. More information is on the USBG Facebook page.
- Adriana Generallo, Creative Director at marketing firm Big Sea, set up the St. Pete Virtual Tip Jar for local hospitality workers who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The website encourages people to consider tipping a local service industry worker through Venmo or PayPal whenever they drink or eat at home while restaurants are suspending dine-in service. INFO
- Boulevard Burgers & Tap House—located at 5905 Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach—is feeding hamburgers and cheeseburgers to all comers, daily, from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. “It’s the least we can do. The community has shown us so much love and support,” owner Charles Marco, owner said. “It’s our honor to give it back.” blvdburgers.com
- Bay area Fuzzy’s Tacos locations have raised more than $15,000 as part of the local chain’s “1 Taco at a Time” campaign, which seeks to feed overworked medical professionals in Tampa Bay and Lakeland. 1 Taco at a Time.on GoFundMe
- The Melendi family’s “Rising Tide” GoFundMe uses monies to purchase meals from local restaurants, which are then delivered to hospital workers, police and firefighters, and the homeless. Nearly $7,000 of a $10,000 goal has been raised so far. A Rising Tide on GoFundMe
- World of Beer’s “Pay It Forward” initiative takes $10 donations and delivers a meal to a local healthcare professionals. What’s more is that WOB is matching each donation with a meal of its own, so $10 feeds two frontline responders. worldofbeer.com
- The “Tampa Carryout” Tampa Bay food truck drive-through—located at 5818 Causeway Blvd. in the Palm River-Clairmel neighborhood of east Tampa— serves free meals to first responders and healthcare workers. The public can also order, which supports the free meals. INFO
- CBK Catering + Events is raising money in a fund that will provide Easter dinner to hospitality workers facing financial hardship. Each package costs $60 to make and will feed a family of six to eight people; CBK has a goal to feed 100 families. @cbkcatering
- Colombian-Mexican restaurant Bahia Tacos was just getting off the ground when the pandemic started to unfold, but that hasn’t stopped it from giving free burritos to first responders as part of a “burrito de héroe” campaign. bahiatacos.com
- St. Petersburg real estate blog St. Pete Rising is working with partners for “St. Pete Meals,” which has raised more than $25,000 from more than 400 individuals and organizations. The result is more than 1,000 meals already delivered to healthcare workers, with more on the way. stpeterising.com
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This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2020.