MADISON
Itâs been both interesting and inspiring to see the ways different Madison restaurants have found ways to reach and serve new audiences during the pandemic.
Adjusting menus, adjusting hours and delivery systems, inventing on the flyâitâs a testament to the creativity and survivorâs instinct that runs so deep in the local food community.
You certainly canât argue staff members at Brasserie V arenât survivors. Even before the pandemic hit and effectively shut down the cozy bar and dining room, the Euro-centric brasserie had managed to survive and thrive through an entirely different sort of challengeâa brutal year-plus road construction project on Monroe Street that obliterated drive-by business, eliminated on-street parking and claimed multiple restaurants before it finally wrapped up in 2018.
Adaptations, adjustments
The Tipsy Cow downtown has introduced burritos as a new, travel-friendly entree for delivery.
Strategies to keep restaurants serving customers have evolved from the beginning of the pandemic shutdown last March. Many restaurants have created or updated online ordering, and many have signed on with a delivery service or two.Â
The Food Fight restaurant group created âWaunakee Wednesday,â offering free delivery from five Food Fight restaurants (Bassett Street Brunch Club, Canteen, Cento, The Coopers Tavern and Miko Poke) to residents of Waunakee. Online ordering starts on Thursdays and ends Tuesdays at 1 p.m.; delivery is Wednesday between 5â6:30 p.m. Itâs one way to get food to an area where customers might not travel all the way to central Madison to pick up curbside.