LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It took an entrepreneurial spirit to open their businesses in the first place. Now local brew pub owners are having to employ those same qualities to keep their places afloat during this unprecedented time.
“The biggest thing is doing a curbside delivery,” said Derek Defranco who owns Mirror Twin Brewing in Lexington. “You can drive up, tell us what you want, we’ll run your card inside, bring your four-pack and you drive away,” he continued.
That was not a misprint. Kore Donnelly at Blue Stallion Brewing Company confirmed it.
“You can call us and order beer, and we’ll fill it into a 32 oz can. We have six-packs of Lexington Lager, and if you really want a keg, we can fill a keg for you too,” Donnelly said.
Drastic times call for drastic measures. So far, the take-out-food-side of the business has helped to sustain these establishments. Now they’re kicking it up a notch, while they can.
“At least with take-out there’s revenue coming in,” Defranco explained. “If everything is shut down then there’s nothing.”
That day, sadly, could be coming. Until then, it’s not business as usual at the local breweries. They’re just trying to do any kind of business while keeping their customers happy.
“Uncertain,” Donnelly said of the immediate future. “Just trying to adapt to it as news comes in.”
“The thing I love about beer, is that it can bring people together. Not in large crowds right now, but it’ll still bring people together and the conversations you can have over it,” Defranco said.
It was that belief, which prompted these guys to open their breweries. Now they’re hoping it’ll help keep them open.
