Month: May 2020

Monday update

Updated Tuesday, May 5

Here’s a list of the Downtown businesses that have announced their plans for today, the first day of Phase 1 of the city/county Back-to-Business Framework, or to put it another way, the end of house arrest. I am only listing places where their plans were posted/tweeted, announced to the media, or told personally to me by a manager or higher. No hearsay.

  • 117 Prime – closed as they decide how to best move forward
  • Alcenia’s – dine-in closed for now
  • Aldo’s Pizza Pies – dining room closed for now, curbside and delivery available
  • Automatic Slim’s – open for dine-in 4 PM Mon, Tue, Fri; 9 AM Sat-Sun
  • Bardog – dine-in closed for the time being; take-out and delivery available
  • Blind Bear – open for dine-in 11 AM-12 AM; will eventually return to regular hours
  • Blues City Cafe – closed, “will give it a few weeks”
  • Central BBQ – will continue to focus on take-out and online for now
  • Cordelia’s Market – outside seating open but not inside seating yet; feedback from customers encouraged re: when to open for dine-in
  • Dyer’s – open for dine-in
  • Flying Saucer – open for dine-in
  • Flight – open for dine-in with full menu
  • Huey’s – will remain to-go for now
  • Jerry Lawler’s on Beale – open for dine-in with limited hours
  • Kooky Canuck – dine-in open with limited menu and reduced hours
  • Local – will be training their staff on proper procedures this week; will remain take-out and delivery for now
  • Maciel’s – will remain take-out and delivery for now
  • Majestic Grille – closed for now
  • Mollie Fontaine’s – closed for now
  • Paulette’s – opening for dine-in starting Tuesday, May 5
  • Puck Food Hall – not open for dine-in; will have CSA boxes available. Will also have coffee, gelato, and large format meals available for curbside pick-up
  • River Time Market & Deli – will continue their grab & go and pick-up just inside the door for now
  • Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick – outside seating open; employees only inside; curbside pickup available
  • South Main Sushi – will remain take-out for now, dine-in later this month
  • South of Beale – no dine-in (still doing takeout)
  • Sunrise – no dine-in (still doing takeout)
  • Tamp & Tap – closed until about May 11, then online and curbside. Will play it by ear when to open dine-in
  • Tin Roof – re-opening Tuesday, May 5; Cinco de Mayo specials on the 5th
  • Westy’s – posted “apparently Monday is the opening day,” so that sure sounds like they’ll be open for dine-in today

Don’t see your favorite place of business listed? Best bet is to Google their phone number and call them and ask them their plans. I would not assume any place would be open for dine-in. As you can see from the list above, a lot of proprietors are taking it slow with re-opening.

There’s a Twitter account called Used to Be a Pizza Hut featuring buildings that used to be Pizza Huts.

Truth right here:

Mother’s Day news from Sunrise:

RealClearPolitics has begun its electoral map projections for November. There are more toss-up states than I have seen in a long time. All the Obama-McCain and Obama-Romney toss-up states are toss-ups again, and so are Arizona, Texas, and Georgia.

All right, everyone. Let’s turn on our phone cameras and do the #SocialDistancing dance challenge of the day to show everyone we #StayedHome!

(pause)

Nah, screw that. Let’s go get a beer.

House arrest day 45 (Sunday)

From Sunrise Memphis:

Downtown Walgreens, which was opening at 9 AM for a while during house arrest, is back to normal hours:

  • Monday-Friday 7 AM-8 PM
  • Saturday 8 AM-7 PM
  • Sunday 10 AM-6 PM

Oh, by the way, they have removed the “Facial covering required by government mandate” signs from the front doors. There is now a “Capacity 19” sign on the door.

The Blind Bear has moonshine slushies now.

Apple Capone- Apple pie and butterscotch moonshine
Bugsy Blue- blackberry and peach moonshine

More from Blind Bear:

Waiting to hear if the floors will be done, either way Monday we can open the patio

High tomorrow is expected to be 81. And I’ll be off work. Yeah, I can see a patio in my plans.

From Memphis Made Brewing Co.:

From Wiseacre Brewing Co.:

Murder hornets are the latest thing we have to worry about.

From Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick:

As all of you probably know by now, starting Monday, Shelby County is going to level 1 of the back to business COVID-19 plan. This enables restaurants to start to utilize their inside for seating at a 50% reduction of occupancy if all tables are at least six feet apart from each other. However at Rizzos by Michael Patrick we want to take things a little slower. So until further notice, to keep my employees and our customers as safe as possible, this is how things will be going at the restaurant

1. Open Monday- Saturday 11:00am – 8:00pm
2. We will continue to only allow employees inside the building, call when your outside we will bring your order to you.
3. Seating will be available outside, be it limited, adhering to all regulations for spacing.
4. All food will be given in disposable single use containers.
5. Curbside will be available and will be made available for the foreseeable future.
6. If you can, go to Rizzosmemphis.com, bite squad, or door dash. If you want please call your order in.
7. The bar is serving beer, wine, and cocktails. We are currently running red and white wine specials daily.
8. Lastly, we love and appreciate all the support.

The Daily Memphian reports that some tourist attractions and museums are working on plans that, if approved by the city, would allow them to open as early as Monday as part of the Back to Business Framework. These sorts of businesses were considered Phase 2 establishments, but due to what tourism means to the city, accelerated plans may be considered. As Kyle Veazey, deputy city COO, noted, these attractions are not one-size-fits-all and need to be considered on an individual basis. In particular, it has been noted that the zoo has submitted a proposal.

From South Main Sushi:

We ❤️ and appreciate all the support during our toughest time and can not wait to see all your smiling faces in our dining room soon!!! We are going to do dine in a later this month, and will keep you updated. We ask you to continue to do take out until then: 4:30-8pm Thank you! ❤️🙏 #southmainsushi @ South Main Sushi

From Maciel’s:

Dear friends, we miss you and can’t wait to see you !
At Maciel’s we have a commitment to safety, and we do not plan on reopening for dinners on Monday, May 4 and will not reopen until we are confident that the situation is safe for our staff and guests and that we can provide the amazing food and service that you have come to expect from Us . But , we encourage you to continue to order Togo or delivery on the phone or tru the app at www.macielsonmain.com Please stay safe.

Mother’s Day news from South of Beale:

Mother’s Day news from Tug’s:

Paulette’s has posted its Mother’s Day carry-out and dine-in menus.

From AP: St. Jude music therapists organize backyard jams for kids

Criminals have been disguising themselves as essential MLGW workers in recent weeks during the coronavirus outbreak. Ask for identification before allowing access to your home. Real MLGW employees will readily show ID.

I’ll post again later today if more news comes in. Otherwise I will be back tomorrow with a list of all restaurants and bars Downtown who have announced a decision whether they will open for dine-in or remain take-out/delivery for the time being.

House arrest day 44 (Sat): Another quarantine song: “I Ain’t Been Nowhere”

We have a new candidate for the official song of house arrest. Thanks to my buddy Clay, on the road with his brother Chris in Arizona building hospital equipment, for sharing this with me. These are Chuck Mead and the Grassy Knoll Boys, friends of Clay and his brother. This song is HILARIOUS and it absolutely nails the mood many of us are in.

From Tamp & Tap:

We closed March 20th after Mayor Strickland ordered non-essential businesses to do so. We were headed that way regardless. That week, office buildings rapidly vacated, hotel occupancy downtown sharply declined, The Forum and Orpheum locked their doors and Memphis’ traditionally lively Spring was effectively canceled.

We depend on Downtown to be churning at full occupancy and lots of foot-traffic to survive. Particularly between 7AM-1PM. The remarkable decrease in revenue leading up to 3/20 made it clear to me that I could not provide everyone a livable wage for very long. It was important for our staff to apply for UI benefits as quickly as possible.

We’re going to follow the lead of many other downtown restaurants. We will not open Monday May 4th. We will tentatively reopen Monday May 11th with online ordering, curbside pickup and limited hours. As our downtown regulars return to work we’ll start propping the door open, letting the breeze in, and resume delivering food & drinks out to tables. Thank you for your support & patience. Hopefully we’ll soon be making the same ol’ drinks for the same faces at the same time everyday. 😘☕️

The Grizzlies Den now has face coverings for sale. Rep yo team, don’t spread yo germs.

Join musician Tony Manard live on Facebook this morning at 10:30 for music from the back of his ’64 Cadillac.

I’ve got wonder if the restaurant dining rooms shouldn’t have remained closed until Wednesday, in order to get past Cinco de Mayo. That is going to turn into a major Amateur Night in the city, especially considering that a lot of people are furloughed right now and don’t have anywhere to be Wednesday morning.

Only question is, can those people afford their rent, much less a margarita? I bet the cheap tequila is going to account for a higher % of sales this year than a typical Cinco de Mayo.

Charvey is back with more Quarantunes tonight at 7:30.

Porcellino’s is now offering their chicken biscuit at Bishop restaurant in the Central Station hotel 7 days a week.

Please make sure to continue to support your Memphis musicians on their virtual concerts and through tipping on PayPal, Venmo, and Cashapp in the weeks to come. Restaurant dining rooms will re-open but they won’t have live music for a while.

Suggestion for Downtowners: Go out to your car and drive around for a few minutes today, then marvel at the wonder of being able to get a convenient parking space down here the first weekend of May.

From Catherine & Mary’s:

May 1 dinner menu + weekend brunch menu. Exciting additions to the menu this weekend! To order, call (901)254-8600 12PM-8PM or email agrant@enjoyam.com.

From the Green Beetle:

Let us help you celebrate Mother’s Day the right way with an AMAZING menu! We are cooking up some simply stunning meals to help you show momma how awesome she really is. We are taking preorders now through Friday the 8th, just shoot us a dm with what you’d like and a pickup time between 11am-4pm on Sunday the 10th. $25/per person includes a salad, 2 sides, an entree (of your choosing), and homemade dessert. Add deviled eggs to round it off and you are good to go! Accepting cash or venmo.

(Click menu to view in a larger size)

From Automatic Slim’s:

Martini Monday is back! Automatic Slim’s will reopen at 50% capacity on Monday, May 4th at 4 p.m., Tuesday at 4 p.m., Friday 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. We look forward to seeing you and can’t wait for brunch next weekend!

We will be observing all recommendations set forth by the Health Department to insure our guests and staffs safety.

Don’t forget, we will be taking To Go orders online at www.automaticslimsmemphis.com

From Puck Food Hall:

From Westy’s:

Better Safe than Sorry! Looking forward to seeing y’all soon. Looks like Monday is the reopening date. Reservations are optional. 💖

From Dyer’s on Beale:

Monday, May 4th, Dyer’s will reopen at 11 a.m. at 50% capacity. We will open daily at 11 a.m.

We will be following the plan to reopen set forth by the Health Department to insure the safety of our guests and staff.

You can now order on line through our website at www.dyersonbeale.com

Reminder: I will have a complete list of what will be open for dine-in and what won’t on this blog Monday, May 4 sometime in the morning. Email me at paul@paulryburn.com or hit me up on Facebook and I’ll add you to the list.  Even if you’re not opening for dine-in, I’d like to include you on the list if you are offering any kind of to-go or delivery.

If you haven’t yet listened to the quarantine song at the top of this post, do it now. I promise you it is worth 3 minutes of your time.

Back later today or tomorrow with more news.

House arrest day 43 (Fri) / update 2

A couple of days ago I commented that someone needed to make a song about the house arrest of 2020. That has been done.

A new taco shop called Inches is coming to Harbor Town Square. Follow them on Facebook for news and updates.

Lightclub Livestream returns to Twitch tonight at 8. This week’s DJs are mado, Jordan Rogers, and Scotty B.

Wild Bill’s will also be back with a live stream tonight at 8:30.

Happy May Day, YOGA! The Memphis Flyer catches up with the folks at Your Inner Yogi, offering virtual classes online, including one tonight.

Central BBQ and Huey’s are taking a wait-and-see approach to the end of the house arrest and will not open their dining rooms Monday. Both will still offer their amazing food on a take-out basis.

Still building a list of who’s opening for dine-in and who’s not for my Monday Update (not “House arrest day 46”) post. Email me at paul@paulryburn.com or hit me up on Facebook and I’ll include you in my list of Downtown business statuses.

Lucy J’s Bakery in Crosstown Concourse is back open and will take pre-orders for pickup and delivery Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays noon-3 PM. Crosstown Concourse will deliver within a 4-mile radius, which includes Downtown.

Follow @RaccoonEveryHr for 24 trash pandas a day.

From Sunrise Memphis:

Update from Local for next week:

That’s all for now. Back later today or tomorrow with more.

House arrest day 43 (Friday)

We’ll start off COVID-19 openings, not-openings, and specials for next week. For the next couple of days I will post individual plans as I become aware of them, then after the weekend is over I will do a Monday update post (note that I did not say a “House arrest day 46” post) where I will summarize all of the plans (dine-in open, take-out only, or closed) that I am aware of. Downtown Memphis businesses, email me at paul@paulryburn.com or hit me up on Facebook if you have opening/not opening info you want me to include.

I have one additional comment about the reopening that I am going to hold until tomorrow.

From the Flying Saucer:

Hey y’all! We are super excited to let you know that we are following all the CDC guidelines and working our tails off in order to get the restaurant ready for our reopening on Monday. We will be operating at 50% capacity and practicing social distancing. We can’t wait to see y’all! 😘🍻

Blind Bear plans to re-open Monday and is currently polling its customer base as to what the hours should be. Visit them on Facebook if you want to vote in the polls.

From the zoo:

Many of Beale Street’s clubs and restaurants will re-open next week, but they will have to do so without live music.

One of the best things about living in Memphis is that you can go kayaking in the Wolf River Harbor off Mud Island. Bass Pro has a basic guide to kayaking for those looking to give this adventure a try.

Yep that’s a thing: coffin pool floats

Also a thing: booze pinatas

Here’s a much needed infographic about COVID-19 in Shelby County. You say there were 81 new cases yesterday, as opposed to 38 the day before? Well, that tells us nothing. If the number of new cases doubled while the number of tests done remained the same, that’s a problem. However, if the number of new cases doubled but testing quadrupled, that’s very positive. Those two pieces of data need to always be presented together, and haven’t been most of the time numbers have been reported.

From Mashable: How to check your work computer to see if your employer has installed a keylogger to spy on you. Note that you don’t have a whole lot of rights if you discover there is one. You could always let that keylogger pick up the keystrokes of your resignation letter.

The USL has an update on the league’s suspension of activities. This is the league in which Memphis 901 FC plays.

Eyes turn to the Arkansas Derby this weekend since the Kentucky Derby has been postponed.

Z-bo won’t be coming to Memphis next month. The BIG3 season opening event at FedExForum has been canceled. Refund info

Here’s the menu for LUNCHBOXeats Lunch Lady’s Comfort Kitchen today through Sunday.

The temporary COVID-19 hospital being renovated at 495 Union could see uses other than treating the cornavirus.

Today would have been the first day of Music Fest. I don’t miss the festival but I sure miss the truck that parks near the Elvis statue and sells turkey legs.

That’s it for now. It’s still early in the morning, so I’ll do a second post today if I need to.