ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — In the heart of Elkhorn, Boyd & Charlie's is open and adjusting to this pandemic by offering curbside service.
Open for nearly 17 years, Boyd & Charlie's serves up anything and everything barbecue and more.
"Good barbecue - we still eat almost every day if that tells you anything about it; family owned," co-owner Nate Ruffino said of the restaurant.
Right now, the barbecue joint has all the meats to go, offering to-go service and delivery through GrubHub and DoorDash.
Included in that, is their special: a rack of ribs for $11.99.
Co-owners Nate Ruffino and Perry Viers say they've felt supported so far.
"We never dreamed that Downtown Elkhorn would be the way it is today," Ruffino said. "We have great community support, especially through times like this, people coming out and supporting us."
The two say they are grateful for the continued support.
"We anticipated not having a whole lot of traffic when we went from being able to have people to dine in," Viers said. "We thought wow, we've taken a hit already, now we're going to take another hit."
Like many small business owners, the duo is worried about the longevity of this.
"If this thing continues, we're going to need to find money to operate, and we're willing to do that to protect our staff as much as we can, but of course there's always those limits to how far you can go and how much the banks are willing to work with you," Viers said.
The restaurant is working hard to make customers feel safe when ordering food.
"People have to eat but people are scared," Ruffino said. "So we're just kind of doing our part to do our best to staying nice and clean, and I'm cleaning the door every time people leave, I'm cleaning the bar, the menus, everything else, just to make sure everyone is safe, environment, where they can still pick up some great barbecue, get out of their house for a quick minute."
Viers said if the pandemic continues even for another month, things could look bad for the business.
"Well if you think about just how most small businesses open week to week, so what your sales are this week, most likely pay last week's bills," Viers said. "So now we've lost two weeks; we've probably over 50% of our business taken away."
So they're doing their best to get customers in their door, including a weekly gift card raffle. Anyone who comes in can put their name in for a $25 gift card. It's a little incentive to say thank you to those supporting them with hope that business continues.
"We're cutting wherever we can, to support our staff," Viers said. "We know that on our PNLs, that our food cost and our labor are our two biggest line-item expenses, and we're going to protect our staff as long as we can. The only way that will happen is if our good customers keep coming through the door."
LOCATION:
2706 N. Main St. Elkhorn, NE
CONTACT:
402-289-4772
CURRENT SERVICES:
Curbside and delivery through Grubhub and DoorDash
ADJUSTED HOURS:
11am-2pm | 4:30-8pm everyday
