Today's #SmallBusinessShoutout features Kelly's Korner Tavern in Placentia! For years Kelly's has been a great place to grab a beer, a bite, and watch a game. But ever since the Safer At Home order went into effect, the business has been hit hard.
Owner and Operator Jim Rafferty joined us today to discuss how things have been for Kelly's. He told us that as a whole, business is down 40%. The stay-at-home order came two days before St. Patrick's Day, which is the biggest day of the year for the tavern. With the help of Placentia Mayor Ward Smith , Rafferty was able to donate half of the corned beef and cabbage provisions they had to a local cause.
Since then, Rafferty and his team have continued to change and adapt daily. They've had multiple other challenges arise such as meat shortages, price increases, and of all the other normal things you would expect with this situation.
Right now, Rafferty says the situation is literally adapt or die:
"A lot of restaurants won’t come back from the stay-at-home order. I believe a lot more are going try to adapt and it's just not going to be sustainable moving forward without the continued help of the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control), who have been so helpful to the industry as a whole with their continuing to lift restrictions and allowing safe ways to sell beer and wine to go."
The best way to stay connected with Kelly's Korner Tavern is on Instagram and Facebook @Kellys92870. Please do what you can to help them out during this very challenging time, and help us continue to support small and local businesses!