The Crying Wolf Staff Emergency Relief Fund

My name is Beca Lew and I am the Kitchen Manager and Chef at The Crying Wolf, a bar and restaurant in East Nashville. As most everyone already knows, on March 2nd, during our popular Monday night dance Party, Freak Me, a tornado ripped through our city, destroying homes and businesses and taking precious lives. We had over a hundred people in our bar, and our staff calmly and swiftly got everyone safe but our building was damaged and we were forced to close our doors. As our city came together, our staff was on the front lines of helping the community. I saw first hand how my co-workers stepped up to help their friends and family, despite being out of work and the future of their income uncertain.   


After a week in the dark, we finally got power back at the bar but the damages to the building made it dangerous to keep the power on so we shut it off. Until the damages to the roof can be repaired, and our HVAC system can be fixed, we are unable to reopen. Our owners and GM made some plans to get our staff working again through pop-ups and we started planning ways to serve our community but in the midst of it all, we were hit with the COVID-19 mandates that all bars must close so we had to cancel our fundraiser pop-up. We are a small business, and these back to back blows have been incredibly difficult for us and we initially resisted doing a fundraiser online because we knew we could get our staff working again ASAP but the universe had other plans for us. We love our staff and we couldn't open our doors everyday without them. So, we are asking our community to help our staff out during this incredibly difficult time. This fundraiser is not for the building repairs or lost revenue during our closure, it is for our staff.


Remember all those times you sat at our bar and our bartenders listened to your stories and shared your joys and your heartaches. Remember that time you opened a tab and we kept it open for you until next payday? Remember the time you fell in love in our bar, kissed in our photo booth, cried in our bathroom, danced on our dance floor, did shots with your friends, shared a basket of fries with your lover? Remember that time we called you an Uber? Or when we played your favorite song and remembered your favorite drink every time you came into the bar? We've always had your back, and given you a place to be your best (or worse?) self, now we need you to have ours. Our staff is displaced and have been since the tornado hit and the hospitality industry is taking a huge hit. We know that times are trying, and we're all worried about the future, but in this moment, we need to keep our staff safe. 


We have 24 staff members. We have 24 people who are family at the Wolf. I am asking for our community to help us give $1000 to each of our employees during these uncertain times so they can pay their bills, feed their pets and come back to work with us when we are able to reopen. 24 people who would give the shirt off their back for a stranger. 24 people who I have watched firsthand help their fellow service industry friends in the last 2 weeks knowing they themselves were struggling. These are people who mean the world to me and to our East Nashville community. I don't know where I would be without my job at The Crying Wolf. I will forever be grateful to my bosses for giving me a job when I needed it, for trusting me with their kitchen and for showing me love and kindness everyday. I know times are tough for everyone, but if you're able to give, know that it's going towards helping out some of the most incredible humans I know, who I promise you have already donated their time and money to other people in this industry and deserve to be showered with support right now. 

We are more than a neighborhood bar, we are a home and our family needs help right now. We are so grateful for your continued support, and I know that The Crying Wolf will be stronger and better when we open our doors again, and you better believe that when we reopen, we know how to throw one hell of a party. Thank you for having our backs, for helping our staff and for continuing to show up during such a trying time!

Love always,
The Crying Wolf