Let it Fly – Memphis Flyer

Railgarten/Facebook

Remember the good, old days of social closeness-ning?

Coronavirus (and the social distancing that has come with it) has put huge strains on local restaurants but many in Memphis are fighting back with curbside service, food delivery, and some help from the city.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Monday “we strongly encourage you to continue to-go orders and support our local restaurants and their staffs.”

“To help with this, we have decided to provide on-street parking relief exclusively for food delivery vehicles at various restaurant locations Downtown and Midtown where parking meters are installed,” Strickland said in a coronavirus update Monday. “Until further notice, we are relaxing enforcement at metered parking spaces, allowing on-street parking at no charge in front of restaurants. Please note that all restricted parking areas will remain in effect during this time to ensure public safety.”

Chef Kelly English said on Instagram post Monday he’d close the dining rooms of Restaurant Iris, Second Line, and Fino’s from the Hill.

View this post on Instagram

We have made the decision to shut our dining rooms down. We can’t wait to get them back open. We are available for delivery and take out. @finosmemphis will be at the very least available for lunch take out and @secondlinememphis will be available for dinner take out starting tomorrow. We are taking tonight to regroup and get a plan. To all of our team: I love you so much, and we will figure this out.

A post shared by Kelly English (@jkellyenglish) on Mar 16, 2020 at 1:05pm PDT

Restaurants Shift to Delivery, Curbside Pickup in Coronavirus Wake

“We have made the decision to shut our dining rooms down,” he said. “We can’t wait to get them back open. We are available for delivery and take out. @finosmemphis will be at the very least available for lunch take out and @secondlinememphis will be available for dinner take out starting tomorrow.

”We are taking tonight to regroup and get a plan. To all of our team: I love you so much, and we will figure this out.”

Napa Cafe announced Monday it would offer family dinner meals for pickup including the choice of soup or salad, an entrée, and choice of one family-style side item and fresh vegetable for $40 per person.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to provide our guests a sense of ease by providing family dinner meals to-go including salads, soups, entrees, family-style sides, and vegetables so that they can enjoy a Napa Café meal in the comfort of their home,” said Glenda Hastings, owner Napa Café.

Railgarten said it will offer food delivery and discounted gift cards because “we want you to have everything you need before you hunker down.”

“Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitality businesses are being hit hard. We know that as our customers start practicing social distancing, our businesses will suffer. We know the main way consumers can continue to support us is through food delivery and buying gift cards.

“We also know that in this time of economic uncertainty, not everyone wants to purchase gift cards. That is why the Party Memphis group, including Railgarten, wants to make it an easy decision to support our team.

“On Tuesday, March 17th, which is also St. Patrick’s Day, our venues will open at 2 p.m. for those who want to grab a family meal and gift card before you settle in at home. At that time, we will begin our gift card sale.”

The sale will begin at 2 p.m. with $200 cards offered at $100. Cards increase in price every hour. Gift cards can be purchased online. Each purchase made in person, though, comes with a free roll of toilet paper.

“This is our way of thanking you for your support and to remind you that even though things can look bleak, we are going to make it through this thing together,” Railgarten said.

Let It Fly said Monday it will offer family meals (that can feed four to five people) for pickup for $39.99. Each meal comes with a gallon of tea or lemonade. Individual adult meals come with a free kid’s meal.

The Majestic Grill said Monday it will offer curbside pickup starting on Wednesday.

Restaurants Shift to Delivery, Curbside Pickup in Coronavirus Wake (2)

Michael Donahue

Mike Miller and David Rodriguez at the Let It Fly Sports Bar media party.

Guests got a sneak peek at Mike Miller’s Let It Fly Sports Bar, where guests will soon be able to eat, drink, and game.

Asked what he wanted the place to be, Miller, Memphis Tigers assistant college basketball coach and former Memphis Grizzlies player, says, “The city’s restaurant. The city’s bar.”

With the emphasis on? “Fun. Good food and fun.”

The media night party, which was held July 23rd at the restaurant at 9091 Poplar in Germantown, emphasized fun and food. Food included a whole hog and the trimmings by Melissa Cookston of Memphis Barbecue Company. Charvey Mac provided the entertainment.

Let It Fly president David Rodriguez says the new venue, which is slated to open August 26th, will serve “elevated food. High-end food and drink.”

Entertainment will include 29 TVs, which sounds staggering for a 4,500 square-foot space.

Let It Fly also will feature two full swing golf simulators, which were up and running at the party.

As for the food, executive chef Rickey Lesley says they will feature a slider bar where guests can create their own sliders, which will be made on site. “We will build it for you,” Lesley says.

These will include sliders made of brisket, chicken, and pulled pork. Let It Fly is partnering with Cookston.

The restaurant also will offer pizzas and 15 different varieties of hot wings.

One of the elevated ingredients used at the restaurant will be “seasoned lime sour cream and homemade salsa,” Lesley says.

Ken Ratliff is Let It Fly CFO and Shellie Kenton is general manager.

MIchael Donahue