White LED take out signage hanging | Photo by Tim Mossholder | Pexels.com
The coronavirus outbreak has caused a lot of local restaurants to learn to think on their feet in an attempt to stay afloat; this is a time where businesses are mandated to be closed to the public.
Roost Modern Italian has developed a pasta bar to offer efficiency in ordering takeout from the Historic Oregon District-staple Italian restaurant.
The food that is typically served on Roost’s menu cannot be displayed in a to-go box, according to Owner Dana Downs.
The plan of action
“You can see we have absolutely no seafood on the menu,” said Downs. “We're not going to put that in the box. We could put it in a box but it wouldn't be any good so I would never do that to my customers.”
Hours of operation currently include 4-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Customers can call ahead or order online.
“We will go back to our regular business model. This is purely a decision based upon trying to fill a need of people's pocketbooks, for one, it's food that we can produce with little labor,” said Downs.
How it’s done
Roost has a pickup window that's right on the sidewalk of Fifth Street so that customers picking up their orders don’t come in at all.
“We actually just crank the window out and hand it to them while they're standing on the sidewalk. That's worked out extremely well, people are super happy. It's nice for us because we know that we have to maintain our space. as far as the sanitation and safety of it,” said Downs.
As well as carry-out orders, Roost is available for catering.
“Even though we aren't open, we entertained the thought of catering bulk meals. People could just call us and leave a message and we can take care of them that way,” said Downs.
In this time of uncertainty, restaurants are trying to keep the best interest of consumers in mind.
Roost Modern Italian is located at 524 E 5th St, Dayton, Ohio.
