Sam has been working at her parents' restaurants during quarantine!
Sam has been busy serving during quarantine. After she packed up in Athens to head to her hometown of Lexington, KY, she started thinking of ways to pass the time.
Sam's parents own local restaurants in Lexington: Saul Good Restaurant & Pub and DV8 Kitchen. Due to the craziness surrounding COVID-19 outbreaks, the restaurants are operating with less than 50% of their normal staff while serving curbside pick-up orders.
"I practically grew up here," Sam said. "For the past twelve years I've eaten at Saul Good at least once a week, so I felt pretty prepared to take on the job!"
After seeing that her parents needed help managing the businesses, Sam stepped in to lend a hand. She has been taking to-go orders over the phone, running food out to customers waiting in their cars, and constantly sanitizing pens, serving trays, and surfaces in the restaurant.
Last week, Sam helped prepare a DV8 Kitchen Pop Up shop. While DV8 is temporarily closed, Sam and her parents decided to organize a day-long "pop up shop" event to sell food from the parking lot. After receiving over 120 pre-orders, Sam packaged food and delivered it to customers who lined up in their cars outside.
"It's crazy to see how much of an impact the shutdowns are having on local businesses. It's been super encouraging to see how supportive my community has been, though. Everyone wants to order out to keep these restaurants in business while also staying safe and healthy, so we're doing our best to make both possible!" she said.
When businesses begin to reopen, Sam plans to stay on staff and continue to work at Saul Good throughout the summer as a server.