Kate's Pub & Staff Covid Relief

I am no longer able to make lemonade from this spoiled citrus. My staff is hurting. One of my bartenders is in the emergency room at Children's Hospital with his son tonight.  He should be focused on his family… not how he’s going to pay his rent this month.  I am always reluctant to ask for help, but this pushed the urgency of our need over the edge for me. The members of my staff are family. I am being forced to consider cutting their shifts AGAIN.  I am heartbroken listening to the panic in their voices as they are no longer able to cover basic expenses. I am crushed that Kate’s can no longer provide them the kind of money they need to support their families.

For two thirds of a year I have been doing everything in my power to keep the doors of Kate’s Pub open.  We have changed our business model to takeout, then to reduced capacity, and back to take out.

To protect the community, we’ve been unable to host any of the weekly events that made us a popular spot. No bands.  No sports. No karaoke. No quiz night. No dart tournaments. No fundraisers. No parties. We have no patio. There is no available space on the sidewalk adjacent to our storefront to use for outdoor seating. 

There are hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue that we did not generate this year. So many of our expenses (rent, utilities, loan payments, insurance, licenses, etc.) are fixed payments. There just isn’t a way to collect enough revenue to stay ahead of all these expenses with take-out and reduced capacity dining.  To pour salt in an open wound, our heating system at the Pub gave out this week. *deep sigh*

We have adapted again and again, finding new ways to generate money for the Pub.  Since June, we’ve been paid to prepare over 4000 lunches for Veterans in need. We’ve sold gift cards to provide free meals to families from our local Boys and Girls Club. I’ve organized small fundraisers to put extra money directly into the pockets of my staff. Despite all of our tenacity and creativity… it’s just not enough.

I sat down today to pay thousands of dollars for our liquor license & business renewals (DUE NOV 30th). I had to seriously ask myself if the Pub can hang on until there will be some semblance of normalcy or until any significant government assistance arrives. I caught myself wondering if it was worth renewing the licenses….

I am humbly asking members of the Kate’s Pub Community to help the Pub catch up.  I want to keep up with expenses. I want to be able to look my remaining staff in the eye and tell them that I exhausted every option I could to make sure they still have a job at the end of this. I want to be able to lighten their load this holiday season. My little family business would have been gone months ago if it weren’t for a cooperative landlord and our very generous patrons. You have always defined Kate’s by being such a loyal, inclusive, and supportive community. Kate’s Pub will celebrate our 15th anniversary this spring. We hope to share that special milestone (and many more) with all of you.

So much gratitude,

Kate and Family