KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mothers who own restaurants in the metro kept right on working through their special day so other mothers wouldn’t have to cook. Small, local restaurants all around Kansas City were serving up specials for moms curbside.
For weeks, Porto Do Sul in Overland Park was closed for business due to the coronavirus outbreak. They are open for curbside carry-out now, and the owners are glad to be cooking for moms Sunday.
“Mom does the cooking all year long but not that day. We do it and enjoy a nice family meal all together with the family,” said owner Edson Ludwig.
Edson’s wife Leonice spent her Mother’s Day masked and gloved, delivering food from the kitchen to cars. She said she’s glad to do it because the last two months have been so difficult for the Brazilian barbecuing couple. They are used to working seven days a week.
“We just want everybody to be safe. We aren’t open just to make money. That’s not what it’s about. Family is what’s more important,” Leonice said.
Across town In the Crossroads District, it’s a family that has kept Affare open during the pandemic. Martin and Katrin Heuser opened Affare eight years ago. Three of their four children are now working in the kitchen, preparing German sausage, omelettes, and desserts from old family recipes.
“We have schnitzel, lamb shanks and venison that’s wrapped in bacon,” Katrin said. “Everything comes with vegetables and bread dumplings. The duck has a gingerbread spice on it.”
But takeout food isn’t what any of these restaurants were founded on. They are reinventing themselves as they go. Trying hard to balance the delectable food items their customers know them for with new safety standards to keep everyone healthy. And now with an eye toward reopening, restaurants are tentatively preparing a plan.
“We’re all in the same boat. Nobody wants to get sick. Nobody wants to spread anything, not to customers or to the staff when they come back. We’ll have to figure it out. It’ll be a busy May,” Katrin said.
The restaurants that have tried to remain open during the coronavirus closures have become very good at creatively figuring things out. They hope that will serve them well when they do welcome customers through the doors again.
Affare is tentatively planning to reopen on June 3. Porto Do Sul is still not sure when they will reopen their dinning room, but have been working on a few changes to comply with CDC social distancing recommendations.
